Tindall injury adds misery to England’s 6 Nations hopes

With England’s Six Nations opener against Wales in Cardiff just seven days away, Martin Johnson’s injury-plagued squad has been hit by another blow after Mike Tindall was sent home from training in Portugal suffering a thigh injury.

Tindall, 32, a veteran of England’s 2003 World Cup winning side, is becoming best known in Britain now as thre man who is due to marry the Queen’s granddaughter, Zara Phillips, later this year.

But as he proved in the autumn internationals, his uncompromising approach at centre is vital to English rugby’s game plan, both in the coming six weeks of international and at the World Cup in New Zealand later this year.

The 32-year-old Gloucester captain and World Cup-winning centre was dispatched to London for an MRI scan on Thursday night.

Initial reports were that no “major damage” had been detected.

Tindall is due to rejoin the England when they convene at their Surrey base on Saturday.

England are getting used to early optimism about injuries to key players being shattered after further assessment of injuries. This was the case with captain Lewis Moody, whose knee injury was not thought to be serious. He was ruled out for six weeks.

Johnson and his coaches will be alive to the threat of having to reshuffle their back line, which had seemed settled.

In theory, the combinations that dazzled in bursts during the autumn would be retained – Ben Youngs and Toby Flood at half back, Shontayne Hape and Tindall in midfield and Mark Cueto, Chris Ashton and Ben Foden in the back three.

Should there be any lingering doubt about Tindall’s ability to play at the Millennium Stadium, it would reinforce the fact that England are short of specialist options at outside centre.

When he was rested for the November Test against Samoa, Bath wing Matt Banahan did a steady job of filling the gap and Johnson admires the physical attributes that the 6ft 8in, 17st Jersey giant can bring to the No 13 position.

Delon Armitage would have been a contender but he is banned and England are unlikely to pitch David Strettle, a specialist wing, into a role he has filled just a handful of times at club level.

Of the out-and-out No 13s, Dan Hipkiss has just come back from injury at Leicester, Sale’s Mathew Tait is out of action and Dominic Waldouck of Wasps has dropped off the radar for now.

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