He plays darts, admires Frank Bruno and if he wasn’t playing rugby, would probably be messing with people’s minds - but more of that later.
“I first played rugby when I was seven. My dad played, his four brothers played, my brother played, my dad’s dad played! It was thrust upon me and I embraced it. I don’t play tag rugby, but it would certainly make my life easier with those big 18-stoners I’m usually up against.”
Despite what you might think, Mike Tindall is relishing the chance to pull on an England shirt for the first time in nearly a year, having missed last year’s IRB Rugby World Cup through injury.
The Gloucester and England centre was speaking about the importance of getting youngsters involved in rugby at an early age at a recent visit to Minsterworth Primary School in Gloucester, the 500th school to join the EDF Energy National Schools Rugby Programme. Launched in January 2007, 50,000 children have already been introduced to the sport through the programme.
Clubs teach tag through the programme, as it gives the 8-10 years involved the opportunity to express themselves and learn the basic skills before moving on to full contact rugby union.
Tindall says: “We’re not just creating the future players but we’re creating the future fans of the game. We’re getting people interested in rugby, and knowing more about the sport, so we get the players coming through but we also get the people who will come and watch each Saturday and support the game.”
With a crop of young talent at Gloucester, including the likes of Ryan Lamb, Antony Allen and Ollie Morgan, 29-year-old Tindall knows just how important it is to put in the groundwork to help produce the game’s future generations.
“We need to bring rugby to new audiences and to give children a taste of the game at an early age. Tag rugby is a brilliant way of getting kids into rugby and helping them get fit and healthy. When you provide quality coaching and the right equipment, and have teachers and children who are keen, then you stand a really good chance of laying solid foundations for the future of the sport.”
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Back to the business in hand, and Tindall can’t wait for the RBS Six Nations to start. The 29-year-old, who has 54 international appearances to his name, scored in the last of those matches, a try in England’s victory over eventual champions France, last year.
“With the Six Nations, I’m massively looking forward to it. It’s always a fresh challenge and especially with England coming back from the World Cup and the progress the team showed toward the end of that,” he said.
“It’s now about moving that forward through the Six Nations and getting some wins under our belt and keeping the momentum going.”
That starts with England’s opener against Wales at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday, in which Tindall starts.
But Tindall has also had time to think about the upcoming EDF Energy Cup semi-finals, two potentially great games, with Leicester Tigers taking on London Wasps, and Saracens up against the only Welsh representatives in the last four, Ospreys.
“Leicester and London Wasps always play each other in big games, don’t they? I think in that one, losing to London Wasps in the European Challenge Cup is going to upset Leicester.
“There’s going to be the usual bloodbath probably, with the way that these two go at each other. It’s always very hard to call, but I think Leicester might just edge it.
“In the other game, the problem with Saracens is they blow so hot and cold at the moment. One week they are brilliant and the next they can be average. Ospreys are a pretty consistent team. Two teams that like to play good rugby but I think Ospreys will win. In a Leicester Ospreys final, if it went to that, I’d say Leicester to win it.”
And as to his dart-playing, Bruno-loving, mind-bending antics, Tindall is happy to explain.
“I enjoy golf, clay pigeon shooting and I enjoy watching most sports. I’m a big NFL (American Football) and darts fan. I do play a lot of darts actually! It’s a great game!
“My favourite rugby player when I was growing up was probably Will Carling, who was England captain at the time. But there are other people. Frank Bruno – I remember him fighting Mike Tyson and how close he got. But what he did for boxing and how he was so friendly, he epitomised what an athlete should be, he was open, he was honest.
“And if I wasn’t a rugby player, I was going to do sports psychology at university, so I’d probably be messing up sport’s people’s minds!”
So there you have it. Time will soon tell whether Tindall will be up to the task and messing with Welsh minds in England’s crucial opener on Saturday.
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