Who is ex-England rugby player Mike Tindall?
Images via CHRISTOPHE SIMON, AFP/ Instagram: @mike_tindall12
Mike Tindall: Who is ex-England captain who loathes the Boks?
England rugby captain turned royal Mike Tindall shared a scathing opinion on the Springboks. Here’s a look at his own life in the spotlight.
Who is ex-England rugby player Mike Tindall?
Images via CHRISTOPHE SIMON, AFP/ Instagram: @mike_tindall12
Ex-England rugby team captain Mike Tindall has a long list of South African enemies, and it’s all because of his scathing comments about the Springboks.
The retired rugby star – who is married to royal Zara Phillips – courted controversy this week when he claimed the South African national team were undeserving of the Rugby World Cup
Who is the man behind the controversial comments?
ALSO READ: Springboks fans troll England’s Mike Tindall: ‘A common drunk’
WHO IS MIKE TINDALL?
Rugby career
Earlier in his career, Mike Tindall played at clubs like Bath Rugby and Gloucester Rugby. The towering player joined the England national team in 2000, where he played until 2011.
According to The Daily Telegraph, Mike broke his nose eight times during his professional rugby career.
Mike – who boasted 75 caps for England – helped his country win the Rugby World Cup in 2003. However, his appearance in the 2011 competition was marred with controversy, which saw him being suspended from the national team.
Controversies
In 2011, Mike Tindall courted controversy after he was found guilty of “dwarf-throwing” at the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.
During his team in New Zealand, Mike was accused of having an affair after being seen flirting with a mystery woman in a local bar.
Mike also had two drunk driving convictions in 2008 and 2009.
Royal and family life
In 2010, Mike Tindall married Zara Phillips, the granddaughter of the late Queen Elizabeth.
The couple have two daughters and a son.
Mike is particularly close with both Prince William and Prince Harry, who are both ardent rugby supporters
What is he up to now?
After retiring from rugby, Mike TindalL made several reality TV appearances. He is also a celebrity ambassador for several charity events and corporate brands.
Mike now works as a co-host on the popular podcast TheGoodd, The Bad, The Rugby.
WHAT DID HE SAY ABOUT THE SPRINGBOKS?
In this week’s episode of The Good, The Bad, The Rugby podcast, hosts James Haskell, Alex Payne, and Mike Tindall shared their post-match commentary about last weekend’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final games.
In it, Mike was particularly annoyed at SA’s defeat of France.
The 45-year-old claimed he was disappointed at the host country’s loss and even stated that they were a stronger side.
He said: “I was emotional. I wanted France to get where they deserved to go. They deserved to win that game. They were a better team by an absolute country mile”.
Mike Tindall then revealed his true feelings about the reigning champions. He continued: “Going back to 2019, it would be a disgrace if South Africa won this World Cup.
Tindall also hinted that the ref was biased towards SA. He said: “I thought O’Keeffe wasn’t very good at that game.
“The irony is most Saffa fans always moan about the ref. And the first thing I put on them was, ‘Oh, you paid him off this time’”.
