An English Rugby legend and after dinner speaker, Mike Tindall, was at the forefront of both domestic and international throughout the entire length of his career. Joining Bath straight from school aged 18 in 1997, Mike enjoyed seventeen years in the sport, making over 250 premiership appearances as well as 75 caps for his country. An inspiring and captivating rugby speaker, Mike has a lot of lessons to give to business and social environments alike from teamwork to maximising success.

Rugby background

Making his debut for England in 2000 alongside Mike Catt against Ireland at Twickenham, Mike cemented his position in the team from there on after. Playing at outside centre for the 2003 Rugby World Cup, Playing in the World Cup Final, Mike was known as the ‘heartbeat’ of the team, playing an elemental role in the side’s overall victory in the tournament. Discussing such an important moment in English Rugby, Mikel makes for a great raconteur who can recall a number of anecdotal tales to give insight into being World Champions.

After suffering a foot injury in 2005, causing him to miss the majority of the season, Mike moved to west country rivals Gloucester Rugby and regained form ready for the start of the following season. Forging a 10,12,13 partnership with Ryan Lamb and Anthony Allen, Tindall inspired aggressive play making attacks, causing the fans to hold him in affectionate regard.

Forming arguably the most powerful centre partnership with Andy Farrell for the 2007 Six Nations tournament, the pair would go on to lead England to an impressive set of results that would form good preparation for the 2007 Rugby World Cup. Unfortunately, Mike sustained a broken leg that would leave him out of the World Cup Squad but return for Gloucester quickly to help his side in both the Premiership and Heineken Cup. Mike stresses the importance of teamwork and leadership as an after dinner speaker, two attributes crucial to success in all walks of life.

Mike would go on to appear for Gloucester 181 times over his nine years with the club, with his last two seasons acting also as a backs coach. Retiring in 2014 Mike has left a legacy on the game that will be hard to outshine. In 2011 he married Zara Phillips, the daughter of the Princess Royal and the eldest granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II.

Ambassador roles

Mike Tindall has also appeared as the host for a number of charity sporting events, including a golf classic sponsored by the Legion Foundation in May 2013 to raise money for the On Course Foundation and Rugby for Heroes. A year earlier, he became the charity ambassador for The Midlands Air Ambulance the same organization that helped to airlift him off of the rugby pitch after an injury in a Six Nations match in 2008. Mike Tindall also captained the England team v The Rest of the World XV in the inaugural Rugby Aid charity match in aid of Rugby For Heroes broadcast live on BT Sport in September 2015. In 2016 Mike was announced as an Athlete Ambassador for the charity Right To Play UK, which uses the transformative power of play to educate and empower children to overcome the effects of poverty, conflict and disease in disadvantaged communities.

Media

His numerous television appearances since retirement include C4’s The Jump, ITV’s Mission Survive, C4’s Sunday Brunch and Sky 1’s League of Their Own. In 2018, Mike participated in And They’re Off in aid of Sport Relief.  He also took part in the 2022 I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. He is the popular co-host of podcast, The Good, The Bad & The Rugby alongside fellow former England international James Haskell and broadcaster Alex Payne. In 2023 Mike also launched his Mike Drop podcast.

After dinner speaker

A wonderful character and consummate professional, Mike is sure to answer questions from fans whilst also tailoring his content to suit a client’s brief, making him one of the most sought after rugby speakers on the after dinner speaker circuit. Feedback includes:

“Mike was fantastic … natural and down to earth …. He told some great stories, made us all laugh but his message was ‘believe in yourself and what you want to achieve’ … ”  Essex Chamber of Commerce

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