Kyran Bracken facts for kids
Bracken at England vs. Wales, during the 2008 Six Nations
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth name | Kyran Paul Patrick Bracken | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 22 November 1971 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 82 kg (12 st 13 lb; 181 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Stonyhurst College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | University of Bristol | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Charlie Bracken Jack Bracken |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kyran Paul Patrick Bracken (born on November 22, 1971) is a famous former rugby union player. He was a scrum-half for teams like Saracens, Bristol, and Waterloo.
Kyran is known for being part of the team that won the Rugby World Cup. He played for the England team 51 times. He was also the captain for England on three occasions. He stopped playing international rugby in 2004.
Contents
Kyran's Early Life
Kyran Bracken was born in Dublin, Ireland. His dad was a dentist, and his mom played hockey for Ireland. When Kyran was four, his family moved to England.
He grew up in Liverpool and went to St. Edward's College. Later, he studied at Stonyhurst College in Lancashire. There, he was coached by Brian Ashton, who later became England's Head Rugby Coach.
Kyran even tried out for Liverpool FC in football and scored three goals! He also thought about playing rugby league for St. Helens.
After school, he studied law at the University of Bristol. He played rugby for the university team. He later became a solicitor, which is a type of lawyer. The Irish national rugby team once said he wasn't good enough. But then, Bristol signed him up!
Kyran's Rugby Career
Kyran Bracken played his first game for England in November 1993. This was against the All Blacks, New Zealand's national team. During this game, he got a serious ankle injury. This kept him from playing for three months. The injury also left his ankle with a permanent weakness.
He played in the 1994 Five Nations tournament. But he was later replaced by another player. He missed a tour to South Africa because he was studying for his law exams. However, he played in the 1995 Five Nations. An injury stopped him from playing in the 1995 World Cup.
Playing for Saracens
Kyran joined the Saracens team in 1996. He helped them win the Tetley's Bitter Cup in 1998. They won against Wasps in that final.
He was not chosen for the 1997 British Lions tour at first. But he was called up later when another player got injured. He did not play in the main test matches during that tour.
Kyran often played as a scrum-half for England. He competed with Matt Dawson for the starting spot. Kyran also had a bad back injury. This kept him out for most of the 1999–2000 season. Because of this, he missed the 1999 World Cup.
World Cup Victory
Kyran was not chosen for the 2001 Lions tour to Australia. Instead, he captained England on a tour of North America. By this time, he was mostly competing with Matt Dawson for the main scrum-half position.
In 2003, he played in a summer tour where England beat Australia and New Zealand. He played four times for England in the 2003 World Cup. He usually came on as a substitute player. England won the trophy, making him a world-cup winner!
He played his 50th game for England against Wales in the quarter-final. His last game for England was in the semi-final against France.
Kyran Bracken also appeared in an episode of the TV show Friends. He was shown being tackled in the episode "The One with All the Rugby".
Dancing on Ice
Kyran Bracken became a celebrity ice dancer! He took part in ITV's TV show Dancing on Ice in 2007. He won the competition with his partner, Melanie Lambert.
In the semi-final, he got a very high score of 29.5 out of 30. This was the highest score in the show's history at that time. He then made it to the final. He won the final on March 17, 2007. His winning performance included "flying" on wires and a final dance to Bolero.
A week later, on March 24, 2007, he won a special show called 'The Champion of Champions'. He got his record score of 29.5 points again.
He also toured with Holiday on Ice in their show "Romanza". Kyran later appeared in the Dancing on Ice Live tour in 2008. He even created his own Ice Party show.
In 2014, Kyran returned for the 'all stars' series of Dancing on Ice. He finished in 5th place. His partner for that series was Nina Ulanova.
Media Work
In 2020, Kyran started a new podcast called Ruck It!. He hosts it with another former England player, Nick Easter.
Kyran's Family Life
Kyran Bracken is married to Victoria. They have three sons named Charlie, Jack, and Lochlan. They live in Hadley Wood.
Helping Others
Kyran Bracken is an Honorary President of a rugby charity called Wooden Spoon. This charity helps improve the lives of children and young people who are at a disadvantage in Britain and Ireland.
He is also an Ambassador for the Royal National Children's Foundation. This group helps support young people who are vulnerable or disadvantaged. They help them attend boarding schools across the UK.
In 2009, he gave out awards at the first awards ceremony for Amersham & Wycombe College.
