Mike Tindall has committed himself to Gloucester effectively for the rest of his career after signing a new three-year, £600,000 contract at Kingsholm yesterday. Tindall said that it took him “all of ten minutes” to agree to the deal at the club he joined three seasons ago from Bath and who he believes are on the verge of real success.

Dean Ryan, the head coach, expressed his delight at securing the England centre. “I have always been a big admirer,” he said. “Without him we are a bit rudderless.”

Tindall, who missed last year’s World Cup after failing to recover in time from a broken leg, said that he felt fulfilled on and off the field and that he could not be happier with life, not least in his long-term relationship with Zara Phillips, his partner. Tindall, 29, will be a key element of England’s midfield in the RBS Six Nations Championship, which starts next week. Later in the year he hopes to be supporting Phillips at the Olympic Games in Beijing, where the Queen’s granddaughter will be part of Great Britain’s three-day event team.

In an exclusive interview with The Times, Tindall said that there had never been any worry that he would look elsewhere. “I am very happy here,” he said. “Money was not a motivation and after a good pre-season, I am playing as well as I have done for a long time week in, week out. I am a better player having come here, where we are trying to set a new standard and become the best team in Europe. When you are enjoying the environment, you want to stay.”

Reaching the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup last weekend was a significant step in the right direction. This week it is chop and change again, with London Wasps visiting Gloucester today, before Tindall links up with England. The week after the opening Six Nations match – against Wales at Twickenham next Saturday – it is Leicester at home, with Gloucester seeking victory in the second of two key Guinness Premiership matches to keep them at the top. “We’ll be in a very good position then,” Tindall said. “And if we beat Wasps, it will make it very difficult for them to qualify for the top four.”

The crop of youngsters at Kingsholm excites him, as it does everyone else, although he is not ready to consider himself a veteran yet. “Experienced, yes. I am still 22 in my mind. I am trying to trick my body,” he said. “Experience is important. I have been around the block, but I like to think I can bring something to the table in certain situations.”

The Otley-born threequarter was due to go to Durham Univeristy to read sports psychology when he decided to postpone his degree for a year and tout himself around as a player. Bath, where he spent nine years, offered him a trial and the degree remains on hold. “There is a good balance in my life,” he said. “Away from the club, I am away from rugby as we live out in the sticks. I have Zara and what she is doing, which take my mind off rugby. We both support each other. But Zara knows how to get herself ready to compete in her sport; I’m the same in mine. You have to respect her and let her get on with it.”

With a return to England imminent, Tindall shares the collective sense of optimism, but he is cautious against complacency in what looks to be an unpredictable championship. “The World Cup final was our last game,” he said. “We have to push on from there. We want to get back to scoring tries. Rugby, sport, is about winning, but sometimes you lose focus on the performance that gets the win.”