England World Cup winner Mike Tindall announces his retirement

Mike Tindall has announced his retirement from professional rugby. The 35-year-old, who helped England win the World Cup in 2003, has decided to hang up his boots after almost two decades in the game with Bath and Gloucester.

He said on his official Twitter feed: “After 17 years it’s time to retire from rugby, I have been lucky to play with/against some great players, two great clubs and had some amazing times. Thank you to everyone who has supported me through my career!”

Tuesday’s announcement comes four days after Iain Balshaw confirmed his retirement after failing to recover from a knee injury, briefly leaving Tindall as the only member of England’s World Cup-winning squad still active.

However, Tindall has now also decided to call it a day.

The Otley-born centre, who married the Queen’s granddaughter Zara Phillips in 2011, started his career with Bath in 1997 and spent eight seasons at the Rec before moving to their West Country rivals Gloucester. He won 75 England caps, and spent almost a decade at Kingsholm and became player-coach following the arrival of director of rugby Nigel Davies in 2012.

After 17 years It’s time to retire from rugby,I have been lucky to play with/against some great players,Two great clubs and had some amazing

— mike tindall (@miketindall13) July 15, 2014

Times. Thank you to everyone who has supported me through my career! #glawsfamily http://t.co/RQucclFUlF

— mike tindall (@miketindall13) July 15, 2014

While he had not been offered a playing contract at Kingsholm for next season, Tindall had the chance to become the club’s full-time backs coach, but the sacking of Davies in May and subsequent appointment of Nick Walshe as backs and attack specialist left that proposal void.

Tindall told the Gloucester Citizen: “I could play two more years if I really wanted to but club rugby is a very special thing for me, it’s what I love about the game. I had to ask myself if I wanted to go and play somewhere else. Can you get emotionally attached to another club? Because that is the pull of club rugby for me. I don’t think you can. I always say ‘never say never’ but I wouldn’t have thought I will be back. You have to face the big bad world sometime and now is the right time to do that.”

He added: “If I was honest, I did enjoy the player-coach role but at the same time it would be too easy to chase a coaching role. As soon as Nigel left I knew it would be very difficult as my contract had run out and my coaching experience was limited.

“I was always fully aware what might end up happening and as soon as they signed (new director of rugby) David Humphreys I knew. But after 17 years in the game playing it’s very easy to think you have to stay in that environment.

“But now what this has given me is an opportunity to have a year away from that and have a look at what else is out there. It’s a little bit daunting going into something where I am out of my comfort zone but at the same time it is exciting.”

What happened to the 2003 World Cup winners?

JOSH LEWSEY

The full-back who made that thumping tackle on Mat Rodgers is now head of rugby at the Welsh Rugby Union.

British and Irish Lion Lewsey retired in 2011 after stints with Bristol and Wasps.

The 37-year-old climbed Mount Everest in 2010.

JASON ROBINSON

The rugby league convert is best remembered for his try in the World Cup final, but now works on grassroots projects for the RFU while also being a director of companies XBlades and Proskins.

Robinson retired in 2007, before taking on a coaching stint at former club Sale, then making a one-season comeback with National League Two side Fylde in 2010.

MIKE TINDALL

The last of the World Cup final squad to retire, Tindall won 75 caps and spent eight years at Bath followed by nine at Gloucester.

Director of rugby Nigel Davies’ departure at the end of last season left Tindall’s coaching future at Kingsholm in question.

The Cherry and Whites installed rugby director David Humphreys and a new back-room team however, leaving Tindall surplus to requirements.

The 35-year-old will now seek media work rather than full-time coaching.

WILL GREENWOOD

The former Lions, Leicester and Harlequins centre fronts Sky TV’s School of Hard Knocks programme with Scott Quinnell, aimed at using rugby to help unemployed youths out of trouble.

BEN COHEN

England’s third-highest try-scorer is chairman of The Ben Cohen Stand Up Foundation, launched to help combat bullying in the UK.

Cohen retired in 2011 after two years at Sale Sharks that followed stints with Northampton Saints and Brive.

JONNY WILKINSON

Wilkinson retired after securing a Heineken Cup-French Top 14 double with Toulon at the end of last season.

England’s World Cup talisman was plagued by injuries after dropping the winning goal against Australia in 2003, but shrugged off that catalogue to find success in the Mediterranean.

The 35-year-old has moved straight into Toulon’s back-room staff as kicking and skills coach.

MATT DAWSON

Matt Dawson has been a team captain on A Question of Sport since 2004, and works as a pundit for the BBC.

The former Northampton and Wasps scrum-half retired in 2006, with 77 England caps and six Test appearances for the British Lions.

TREVOR WOODMAN

Loosehead prop Woodman was forced to retire prematurely at the age of 29 due to back injuries.

The 37-year-old is now scrum coach at Gloucester, where he plied his trade between 1996 and 2004.

STEVE THOMPSON

Thompson has been based in Dubai since final retirement in 2011, working as an ambassador for the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation.

The Northampton hooker initially retired due to neck trouble in 2007, only to reverse the decision and sign for Brive in France.

Thompson continued his international career until the 2011 World Cup, winning 73 caps.

PHIL VICKERY

Combative tighthead prop Vickery runs successful sportswear firm Raging Bull – his playing days’ nickname.

Neck injuries forced Vickery to retire in 2010 after stints with Gloucester and Wasps, before he moved into coaching with a stint at Worcester.

The 38-year-old won Celebrity Masterchef in 2011.

MARTIN JOHNSON

England’s talismanic captain moved into a disastrous stint as national coach, culminating in a lacklustre campaign in New Zealand in 2011.

The Leicester Tigers stalwart coached England from 2008 to 2011, but failed to transfer his feared on-field reputation into management.

Johnson has not returned to coaching since, instead concentrating on media work and public speaking.

BEN KAY

The Leicester second-row got away with bungling a sure-fire try by dropping the ball over the whitewash in the 2003 final against Australia.

Now Kay works as one of BT Sport’s main rugby analysts.

RICHARD HILL

England’s silent assassin blindside flanker “worked in the shadows” to help Clive Woodward’s side through a tough semi-final against France, according to opponent Serge Betsen.

Now the former Saracens loose-forward works in business development.

After retiring in 2008, Hill took up a coaching role in the Saracens Academy that he held for five years.

NEIL BACK

The potent openside flanker retired in 2005 after 15 years with Leicester Tigers, moving immediately into coaching.

Back has enjoyed stints with Leeds and Rugby, with his last full-time role at Edinburgh ending in 2013.

LAWRENCE DALLAGLIO

The former Wasps No8 now heads up the Lawrence Dallaglio Foundation, helping young people find opportunities through sport and also raising funds for teenage cancer trusts.

DORIAN WEST

The former Leicester Tigers hooker West retired straight after the 2003 World Cup, making an immediate switch to coaching with England’s then Under-21s.

The 46-year-old has been forwards coach at Northampton Saints since 2007, helping the Franklin’s Gardens side claim their first Aviva Premiership title last season.

JASON LEONARD

The versatile scrummager won 114 England caps across 14 years, retiring the year after England’s World Cup triumph.

Now working in construction, Leonard is also an ambassador for rugby charity wooden spoon, that raises funds for disabled and disadvantaged children.

MARTIN CORRY

Corry has worked in sales since his 2009 retirement from rugby.

The Leicester Tigers number eight went on to captain England between 2005 and 2007 following the World Cup triumph, also featuring in the squad that reached the 2007 final.

LEWIS MOODY

Now running his own coaching company, Moody retired in 2012 after two years at Bath that followed 14 years with Leicester.

The gritty flanker has spoken out about life with ulcerative colitis, to raise awareness of the condition.

KYRAN BRACKEN

The former Saracens and Bristol scrum-half is now the director of a construction company.

Bracken retired in 2006 and then won the celebrity talent competition Dancing On Ice a year later.

MIKE CATT

The South Africa-born Catt is now England’s attack coach, working alongside head coach Stuart Lancaster.

Catt retired in 2010 after stints with Bath and London Irish, and his last England match was the 2007 World Cup final defeat to South Africa.

IAIN BALSHAW

Balshaw was the penultimate member of the World Cup-winning line-up to retire, with knee injuries forcing him to hang up his boots just days before Tindall.

The 35-year-old spent the final five years of his career at Biarritz after spells with Gloucester, Leeds and Bath.

SIR CLIVE WOODWARD

Woodward spent an unsuccessful year’s transition into football as technical director at Southampton, before switching to athletics in 2006.

The former Harlequin and Leicester Tiger held the role of director of sport for Team GB for six years, culminating with London 2012.

Now Woodward is a Team GB ambassador and a columnist for the Daily Mail.

Article source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/ugo-monye-eyeing-england-recall-2332254

England World Cup winner Mike Tindall announces his retirement