Zara's date with rugby hero

Zara Phillips is dating England rugby player Mike Tindall. The 22-year-old daughter of Princess Anne met the player at the Rugby World Cup finals in Australia and the pair were seen together at a hunt ball on Saturday.

The are said to have exchanged phone numbers in Sydney and then became close after Zara was reportedly dumped by boyfriend jockey Richard Johnson and moved back in with her mother at Gatcombe Park, Gloucestershire.

It is believed they went to the North Cotswold Hunt Ball at Sudeley Castle, Winchcombe, on Saturday night where onlookers said they appeared to get on like a house on fire. Friends said the relationship was at an early stage and both Tindall and Zara were 'taking things steady'.

A friend of the 25-year-old Yorkshire-born rugby player told the Sun: 'They have become friends but it's too early to say whether they are an item.

'They've been in touch since Mike came back after the World Cup and they have been out together.'

Zara returned home to her mother recently after her four-year affair with Johnson appeared to have ended for good.

She was said to have been deeply upset at the collapse of their relationship which came after Johnson, 26, told her he was not ready to settle down. She had moved in with Johnson in 2001, sharing a £ 400,000 house near Toddington, Gloucestershire, and appearing in a cosy athome photo spread for Hello! magazine.

At one point it was hoped the couple would marry but the relationship deteriorated. They broke up for the first time last summer after a series of rows.

Soon afterwards, Johnson was said to have fallen for Louise O'Neill, daughter of racehorse trainer Jonjo O'Neill. He and Zara got back together but the relationship apparently never recovered.

Tindall was the only England player without a wife or girlfriend. He plays for Bath and lives just a 30-minute drive from Zara's family home. Zara celebrated in Australia with her cousin Prince Harry after England beat Australia in a nailbiting final.

Tindall told the newspaper that the Queen contacted Prince Harry by mobile phone. He then turned to Mike and said 'I've just got a text from my gran - she's going to throw you a party.'

Friends say Zara, 11th in line to the throne, now wants to concentrate on her dream of winning a place in Britain's Olympic eventing team as Princess Anne did.

Last week it emerged she is in contention for a place in the Great Britain eventing team in the Athens Olympics next year. She is on the 'long list' of 14 riders from which the five- strong team will be selected.