As Martin Johnson mulls over his options for the England captaincy on next month's tour to New Zealand, Mike Tindall's credentials as a leader-in-waiting have received a ringing endorsement from Dean Ryan, the head coach of Gloucester, his club.

Phil Vickery is clinging to a slender hope that he will recover from a knee injury in time to carry on in the role. But in the event that the London Wasps prop is unable to travel, Ryan believes that Johnson should look no farther than Tindall when he announces the squad and captain on Tuesday. “There's no one better than Tins,” Ryan said.

The England centre is flattered to be linked with the job, but insists that his sole focus is on Gloucester's final matches of the season and a tilt at the Guinness Premiership title after several near misses. In what has been one of the tightest campaigns for many years, that quest continues tomorrow against Bath, their West Country rivals, in the last match of the regular season.

Ryan points to Tindall's return from a lacerated liver after only six weeks as a key to Gloucester's fortunes, not least in their ground-breaking win away to London Wasps last Sunday, and insists that the outside centre, who is the longstanding boyfriend of Zara Phillips, has to be the first name on Johnson's list.

“His influence is huge,” Ryan said. “We struggled in January and February, but we could have been sitting comfortably [at the top] if Mike hadn't been injured. It is no accident that since he's been back we have been playing a lot better.

“His leadership and understanding of the game is top level. He could easily captain England. It is not easy to see where [Johnson] could go beyond Mike. People do not realise how well he understands the game. He builds it from simple foundations. He then has the physical equipment to keep the game simple himself just by taking the ball.

“Only 12 months ago he got an unbelievable amount of criticism. He will always be a player that allows other players to do well. He'll never be a player who you go away thinking, 'S**t, Tins is a top player', unless you actually analyse what he has done. He's vastly underrated.”

The only cloud hanging over Tindall is his impending court case for drink-driving, scheduled to be heard next Wednesday, but Johnson is unlikely to be swayed by its outcome if he decides that Tindall is the right man. The 29-year-old, who has 54 England caps, insists that he has had no significant contact with Johnson since the latter's appointment.

“If someone asked me [about leading England], it would be great,” he said. “If they don't, as long as I am in the squad, I will be happy. I've had no chats with Johnno. I spoke to him once just to say, 'Hi, how are you?' I think he has enough on his plate.

“And my concentration is on Gloucester. I haven't won anything with the club for a long time, but to win the league or Europe is what it is about. We have been so close.”

Barring an unlikely chain of results, Gloucester will be granted a home tie in the play-offs. Bath should join them, with Wasps and Sale Sharks favourites to complete the top four. “We have lost only once in two seasons at Kingsholm,” Tindall said. “We want to finish on top. If we finish top of the table, it will be for the third time in the last six years. It would be nice to go one better than last year. [They were routed 44-16 by Leicester in the Grand Final]. That performance was our worst of the year. We learnt a lot from the final. We have to make sure it pays dividends this year and not wait another 12 months.”

Leicester, who have little hope of making the play-offs, have signed Craig Newby, the former New Zealand flanker.