Rugby:The England management have defended Mike Tindall and several of his teammates following reports of a night out in Queenstown. The players were given last Sunday night off following their 13-9 victory over Argentina in their opening game of the Rugby World Cup. Some of the squad visited a number of bars, including one which was hosting a 'Mad Midget Weekender.' With an eight-day break between England's fixtures against Argentina and Georgia, the squad were also given Monday off and some of the players took the opportunity to go bungee jumping.

It is understood that, based on current reports, the English Rugby Football Union (RFU) do not plan on taking disciplinary action. An England team spokesperson said: “Mike and several of the players were enjoying an evening out after he had led the team to a hard-earned victory over Argentina. Like all the lads he plays for England with a massive amount of passion and he was relaxing after a tough match.”

England manager Martin Johnson confirmed before the team left for New Zealand that he would not be imposing drinking bans on the squad. “When I started playing rugby at senior level you were dealing with blokes; they treated us like adults and there is no reason to change that now they are professionals and things are far more organised in the game.

“They are there to make sensible decisions. If I can’t trust them, there is a simple choice for us to make.” Rich Deane, the manager of Altitude Bar which hosted the midget racing and other games, posted a message on their Facebook page defending the conduct of the England players. He wrote: “Firstly: There was no dwarf throwing — that’s just not cool! Secondly: There was no scandal by any of the English rugby players that we saw.”