Bad news then good for Tindall

A scan has revealed that England World Cup winner Mike Tindall's ankle injury is less serious than first feared. The Sydney hero was taken to hospital yesterday after sustaining a suspected broken leg during Bath's 24-15 Zurich Premiership victory at Saracens.

An X-ray showed no break and Tindall will return to the Royal Bath United Hospital for further checks today. "There was no break although the scan did show he had an unstable ankle and Mike will have an MRI scan in the morning to determine the extent of any soft tissue damage," said a club spokesman. "We wouldn't speculate on how long he might be out of action until after the second scan." Centre Tindall will have seven weeks to recover before Clive Woodward's world champions start the defence of their Six Nations title against Italy in Rome on Sunday, 15 February.

Bath will hope to have him back a week earlier, when the league leaders host champions Wasps at the Rec on 7 February. Tindall thought he had broken a bone after twisting his right ankle when he gathered the ball before scoring a try in the 10th minute. He was treated on the Vicarage Road pitch before being taken to hospital in Bath. "He did it bending down to pick the ball up and then got hit by a tackle," said head coach John Connolly. "Then he twisted and he knew something was wrong when he got the ball down."