Mike Tindall's England career appears to be over after he was thrown out of England's elite player squad and fined £25,000 by the Rugby Football Union, following events in Queenstown during the World Cup. James Haskell and Chris Ashton have been handed suspended fines of £5,000 and warned about their future conduct, following an alleged incident in a hotel in Dunedin. The Northampton hooker Dylan Hartley has been cleared of any wrongdoing.
Tindall, who has said he will appeal the decision, was the subject of extensive press attention after a night out at the Altitude Bar in Queenstown, after England's 13-9 win over Argentina. CCTV footage from the bar showed Tindall, who is married to Zara Phillips, the daughter of Princess Anne, in conversation with an unnamed blonde woman.
The 33-year-old Gloucester centre has won 75 caps since making his England debut in 2000, scoring 14 tries. He was part of the 2003 World Cup-winning team.
The punishment handed down to Tindall is unprecedented. An RFU investigation conducted by Rob Andrew, the professional rugby director, and the legal and governance director, Kerena Vleck, found the Gloucester centre had been guilty of "unacceptable" behaviour.
Andrew said: "We have considered all the evidence carefully and interviewed the players at length. These actions have not been taken lightly but we believe that in all these cases the sanctions are commensurate with the level of seriousness of what occurred.
"Mike Tindall's actions reached a level of misconduct that was unacceptable in a senior England player and amounted to a very serious breach of the EPS Code of Conduct. Whilst we acknowledge his previous good character it needs to be made clear that what he did will not be tolerated.
"Regarding the events in Dunedin, it should be stressed that the allegations of very serious wrong-doing made against Chris Ashton, Dylan Hartley and James Haskell by Annabel Newton, a member of staff at the team hotel, were entirely false. We do not believe the players had any intention to sexually harass or intimidate Ms Newton.
"However, the incident is precisely the kind of dangerous, compromising situation the players were warned about prior to departure for New Zealand and that they were specifically told to avoid in the EPS Code of Conduct. While we found that Dylan Hartley played no part in the ill-considered exchange with Annabel Newton, Chris Ashton and James Haskell's behaviour on 9 September did breach the EPS Code of Conduct and they have each been given suspended fines of £5,000. If they commit any further breaches of the Code before 31 December 2012 the fines will become due.
"Finally, these episodes and the subsequent disciplinary action should stand as a strong reminder that the highest standards of personal conduct are expected from any England player on and off the field."
The players have the right to appeal to the RFU acting chief executive, Martyn Thomas, within three working days.
