Mike Tindall found himself the centre of attention for all the wrong reasons in New Zealand © Getty Images

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Players/Officials: Mike Tindall

Tournaments/Tours: Rugby World Cup | Aviva Premiership

Teams: England | Gloucester Rugby

Gloucester head coach Bryan Redpath has revealed that Mike Tindall is desperate to get back playing for the Cherry and Whites in the hope of putting his disastrous Rugby World Cup campaign behind him as quickly as possible.

Tindall made little impact on the field during his time in New Zealand but the veteran centre, who recently married the Queen's granddaughter, Zara Phillips, created a huge stir off it because of his behaviour on a night out with team-mates during which he was caught on CCTV talking with a mystery blonde woman.

He was then alleged to had misled England team manager Martin Johnson regarding his exact movements on the night in question, prompting calls for the former captain to be sent home.

Despite the controversy Tindall caused during the tournament, Redpath, speaking after Saturday's Anglo-Welsh Cup win over Sale Sharks, is looking forward to having the player back within his ranks.

"I respect Mike massively, he is a rugby player and that's how he will be judged. Many people judge him on many other things," he said. "I spoke to him on Friday and Sunday because he wanted to know all the plays and moves and to do a bit of homework.

"He needs to play at Gloucester and he needs to get his head down and work hard and forget what he has been through over the last three or four months and knuckle down. If he knuckles down he will push for a place, and if he doesn't he is the same as everyone else here."

Redpath is also thrilled that Samoa centre Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu is also available to return to club duty after being handed a six-month suspended ban for inflammatory comments he made about the International Rugby Board (IRB) and referee Nigel Owens during his time in New Zealand.

"He has been dealt with by the IRB and whatever it is he is back in training next week," he said. "He is a world-class player, he showed it in that game against South Africa and it's important he gets back to us and gets on with the job at hand."