England international Mike Tindall's appeal against the £25,000 fine imposed on him by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) for his night out during the World Cup will be heard at Twickenham on Thursday.

The 33-year-old centre was fined and dropped from the England squad after an RFU investigation into his conduct during a night out in the New Zealand resort town of Queenstown during the World Cup.

Leaked security footage showed Tindall, recently married to Queen Elizabeth II's granddaughter Zara Phillips, being kissed on the head by a woman.

Tindall was among a group of players who, having been given the night off by the England management, first went drinking at the Pub on the Wharf and then moved on to the nearby Altitude Bar.

The Gloucester back later issued an apology for misleading the England management over his movements that night, having initially claimed he did not go on to another bar.

After a disappointing tournament for England, which ended with a quarterfinal loss to France, Tindall was subsequently fined and dropped from England's elite player squad.

The Rugby Players' Association labelled Tindall's fine, handed down by the RFU's elite rugby director Rob Andrew, as "extraordinary" and "unprecedented".

Fresh embarrassment for the RFU came with the revelation earlier this month that it had part-funded the players' night out, with a leaked e-mail from the England team operauions manager saying "yes, there is a tab".

Tindall's appeal will be heard by the RFU's acting chief executive Martyn Thomas.

Last week the RFU, without a permanent chief executive after a series of boardroom upheavals, saw Martin Johnson - captain of an England team featuring Tindall that won the 2003 World Cup - resign as England manager just a couple of months before the Six Nations.

AFP