Broken leg would have been better for Tindall: Physio

The broken leg that England centre Mike Tindall was initially thought to have sustained on club duty last Saturday would have been preferable to the eventual diagnosis of ankle ligament damage, according to Bath physio Chris Mallac.

Tindall sustained the injury during Bath’s 25-14 Zurich Premiership victory over Saracens and is facing a minimum three month lay-off – and possible ankle reconstruction – which rules him out of England’s entire 2004 RBS 6 Nations campaign.

And Mallac revealed that had the 25-year-old powerhouse centre broken his leg as was first feared, he would be facing a shorter stint on the sidelines and the possibility of making some contribution to England’s Grand Slam defence.

“He would have been better off breaking his fibula. Had he done that, he would have been back sooner. With a broken fibula, you are looking at six to eight weeks out,” he said.