At 43 years old, Mike Tindall, a former World Cup champion, still dons his rugby boots and enthusiastically engages in matches for Minchinhampton RFC in Gloucestershire.
Additionally, this renowned England rugby figure is throwing his weight behind an England Rugby initiative to inspire more individuals to rejoin the sport
The pandemic caused a significant disruption to grassroots fifteen-a-side rugby, resulting in an 18-month hiatus. Although much of the sport has resumed its normal operations, research indicates that social players in men’s rugby have not returned to their pre-COVID levels. Similar to athletes in other sports, some rugby players have lost the habit of representing their local teams every weekend.
As he prepared for a midweek training session at Minchinhampton, where he occasionally takes the field for the 2nd and 3rd XVs, Mike expressed his thoughts: “It’s important that we try to get more people back at clubs. It’s such a great game and the values are so good.
“You can fall into not playing after covid, because you’ve had a break and it’s then hard to re-engage. I’d say just get back out there, go and see your mates, build up gradually and throw the ball around.”
“The social aspect is why we play rugby, why we get involved in our local club, it’s the end of season tours, the midweek curries, the post-training beers, that’s what rugby is, it drives communities,” said Mike.
To find your nearest rugby club and ‘Get Back In The Game’ visit findrugby.com
5 internationals you didn’t know were still playing…
#1. Dan Carter
Following his retirement from professional rugby, the All Black legend played a match for his childhood club Southbridge, scoring 12 points for his boyhood side.
He played the full 80 minutes and scored six of his seven kicks at goal as his side beat West Melton 54-14. Following the game, Carter revealed he intends to play a bigger part at his local club moving forward.