RFU paid for drinks on Tindall's night of shame

Mike Tindall was axed from the England squad in the weekend. Photo / Greg Bowker

The drunken night out that cost Mike Tindall his England career was partly paid for by the England Rugby Football Union (RFU).

Former skipper Tindall was last night still awaiting a hearing date for his appeal against the £25,000 RFU fine imposed for his behaviour during England's ill-fated World Cup campaign. Meanwhile, the Daily Mail has revealed the union encouraged the start of the infamous "dwarfgate" night out and even arranged to pay for players' drinks.

The 33-year-old Gloucester centre was thrown out of the England squad last Friday and hit with the fine - described as "unprecedented" by the players' union - for his drunken antics on the night of Sunday, September 11. Twenty-four hours after he led the team to a narrow win in their World Cup opener against Argentina, Tindall and most other members of the squad went out in Queenstown at the start of a five-day stay in the New Zealand town.

Days later, lurid details surfaced of excessive drinking by several players as allegations were made about an encounter between Tindall, who married The Queen's granddaughter Zara Phillips in the summer, and a blonde woman. Manager Martin Johnson backed his former team-mate amid calls for him to be sent home, but Tindall later apologised for lying about his movements that night.

A post-tournament investigation by Rob Andrew, the RFU's professional rugby director, and the union's legal and governance director, Karena Vleck, led to last week's decision to jettison Tindall from the England squad and the fine for his "conduct around the events that took place in Queenstown".

However, the Daily Mail has learned that, while the union belatedly indicated their anger at the drunken antics which ended with several players visiting the Altitude bar which was having a "dwarf-tossing" night, they made arrangements to pick up at least one bar bill.

An email circulated to the players by team operations manager Tom Stokes revealed he had reserved "an area (of a) bar/pub in town called Pub on the Wharf from 19.30", before going on to add "yes, there is a tab".

While it is common practice for the RFU to pay for the England squad to have dinner at a restaurant during the week of a Test, it was made clear in Stokes' email that dinner was available in the team hotel at 19.00, so the tab was specifically laid on for drinks.

Following this invitation, a large majority of the England players gathered at the pub.

Most left after three or four hours, with one group moving on to the Altitude bar.

It has been widely reported that many players were heavily intoxicated by the time they left the first pub. In his explanation last week for the action taken against Tindall, Andrew said: "These episodes and the subsequent disciplinary action should stand as a strong reminder that the highest standards of personal conduct are expected from any England player on and off the field."

Yet, the latest revelations appear to cloud the picture, even though there is no suggestion players were encouraged to drink to excess.

- DAILY MAIL