View source for Kyran Bracken

{{Short description|English rugby union player}}
{{BLP sources|date=May 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox rugby biography
| image                   = Kyran Bracken.jpg
| caption                 = Bracken at England vs. Wales, during the 2008 Six Nations
| name                    = Kyran Bracken <br/> [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]]
| birth_name              = Kyran Paul Patrick Bracken
| birth_date              = {{birth date and age|1971|11|22|df=yes}}
| birth_place             = [[Dublin]], Ireland
| death_date              = 
| death_place             = 
| height                  = 1.80 m
| weight                  = {{convert|82|kg|stlb lb|abbr=on}}
| position                = [[Scrum-half (rugby union)|Scrum-half]]
| amatyears1              = 
| amatteam1               = [[Waterloo R.F.C.|Waterloo]]
| ru_amupdate             = 
| repteam1                = [[England national rugby union team|England]]
| repyears1               = 1993–2003
| repcaps1                = 51
| reppoints1              = 15
| ru_ntupdate             = 
| years1                  = 1992–1996
| years2                  = 1996–2006
| clubs1                  = [[Bristol Bears|Bristol]]
| clubs2                  = [[Saracens (rugby club)|Saracens]]
| apps1                   = 47
| apps2                   = 128
| points1                 = 35
| points2                 = 50
| ru_clubupdate           = 2014-06-20
| ru_currentclub          = 
| province1               = 
| provinceyears1          = 
| provinceapps1           = 
| provincepoints1         = 
| ru_provinceupdate       = 
| repsevensyears1         = 
| ru_sevensnationalcaps   = 
| ru_sevensnationalpoints = 
| ru_sevensupdate         = 
| coachteams1             = 
| coachyears1             = 
| ru_coachupdate          = 
| relatives               = [[Charlie Bracken]]<br>
[[Jack Bracken]]
| school                  = [[Stonyhurst College]]
| university              = [[University of the West of England]] 
}}

'''Kyran Paul Patrick Bracken''' [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]] (born 22 November 1971) is a world-cup winning former [[rugby union]] footballer who played at [[Scrum-half (rugby union)|scrum-half]] for [[Saracens (rugby club)|Saracens]], [[Bristol Shoguns|Bristol]] and [[Waterloo R.F.C.|Waterloo]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.co.uk/england/rugby/player/11678.html|title=Kyran Bracken|publisher= espn.co.uk|access-date=7 July 2013}}</ref>

He won a total of 51 [[England national rugby union team|England]] caps and captained the team on three occasions, retiring from international rugby in 2004.

==Early life==
Bracken was born in [[Dublin]], Ireland. His father was a dentist and his mother had played hockey for Ireland. They originally lived in [[Skerries, County Dublin|Skerries]] but moved to England when Bracken was four.

He was brought up in [[Liverpool]] and was educated at [[St. Edward's College]], and later at [[Stonyhurst College]] in Lancashire, where he was coached by former England Rugby Union Head Coach, [[Brian Ashton (rugby union)|Brian Ashton]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Stonyhurst maintain their proud record|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/stonyhurst-maintain-their-proud-record-1343474.html|work=[[The Independent]]|date=22 March 1996}}</ref> He attended a trial for [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool FC]] and scored three goals. He also flirted with the idea of playing [[rugby league]] for [[St Helens R.F.C.|St. Helens]].

After school he studied law at the [[University of Bristol]] whom he represented at rugby union and later qualified as a [[solicitor]]. He was turned down by [[Ireland national rugby union team|Ireland]] as 'not good enough' but signed up by [[Bristol Bears|Bristol]].

==Rugby career==
Bracken made his England debut in November 1993 against the [[All Blacks]]. However, a stamp from [[Jamie Joseph]] seriously injured his ankle, putting him out of action for three months and leaving him with a permanent weakness. He started the [[1994 Five Nations Championship|1994 Five Nations]], but was dropped halfway through in favour of [[Dewi Morris]]. He missed the summer tour to [[South Africa national rugby union team|South Africa]], studying for law exams, but played in the [[1995 Five Nations Championship|1995 Five Nations]]. Injury kept him out of the [[1995 Rugby Union World Cup|1995 World Cup]].

Bracken joined Saracens in 1996 and was part of the team that won the [[Powergen Cup|Tetley's Bitter Cup]] against [[Wasps RFC|Wasps]] in 1998.

He missed out on selection for the [[1997 British Lions tour to South Africa]] in favour of [[Matt Dawson]] and [[Austin Healey]], but was called up as injury replacement for [[Rob Howley]] but did not play in the tests.

He then became an irregular scrum half for England, with Dawson generally having the upper hand but being frequently injured. Bracken himself had a serious back injury that kept him out for most of the 1999–2000 season, including the [[1999 Rugby Union World Cup|1999 World Cup]].

He missed out on selection for [[2001 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia|2001 Lions tour to Australia]], instead captaining England on a three match development tour of North America. By then he was mostly having to compete with [[Matt Dawson]] as first-choice scrum-half. In 2003 he played in the summer tour beating [[Australia national rugby union team|Australia]] and [[All Blacks|New Zealand]]. He appeared four times for England during the [[2003 Rugby World Cup|2003 World Cup]], mostly as a substitute or [[blood replacement]], becoming a world-cup winner as England lifted the trophy. He won his 50th cap against [[Wales national rugby union team|Wales]] in the quarter-final, and gained his last cap in the semi-final against [[France national rugby union team|France]].

Bracken was also the player who drew groans from the cast of ''[[Friends]]'' after being tackled in the episode "[[The One with All the Rugby]]".

==''Dancing on Ice''==
{{main|Dancing on Ice}}
Bracken starred in and won [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]'s celebrity ice dancing competition ''[[Dancing on Ice]]'' in 2007, with partner [[Melanie Lambert]]. In the semi-final he received the highest score in the history of ''Dancing on Ice'' at that time (29.5 out of a possible 30) matched only by rival [[Clare Buckfield]] the next week. He was then voted into the final alongside actress [[Clare Buckfield]] and former [[Blue (English band)|Blue]] member [[Duncan James]].

He won the final on 17 March 2007 after a performance which included the required element of "flying" on wires and a final performance of Bolero.

On 24 March 2007 he won the special edition of ''Dancing on Ice'' 'The Champion of Champions', after repeating his record 29.5-point score.

He toured with ''[[Holiday on Ice]]'' in their show "Romanza".

Bracken made an appearance during preparations for ''Dancing on Ice'' 2008, week 5, to help contestant and friend [[Steve Backley]] with his performance.
After finishing the tour with ''Holiday on Ice'' Bracken has confirmed he was appearing in the ''Dancing on Ice Live'' tour 2008.

He also created his own Ice Party, held at the Hand Stadium, home of [[Clevedon Town F.C.|Clevedon Town]], which starred himself, [[Clare Buckfield]], [[Suzanne Shaw]] and many world-famous skaters.

Bracken placed 5th in the 2014 'all stars' series of ''[[Dancing on Ice]]'' being eliminated in the Quarter-Finals. He was partnered with professional ice skater [[Nina Ulanova]].

==Media career==
In 2020, Kyran launched a new podcast called [http://podfollow.com/ruck-it Ruck It!] with fellow England international [[Nick Easter]].

==Personal life==
Bracken and his wife, Victoria, have three sons,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Anstead |first1=Mark |title=Kyran Bracken: 'I've been with the same bank all my life – you'd think that would mean something' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/fameandfortune/5849095/Kyran-Bracken-Ive-been-with-the-same-bank-all-my-life-youd-think-that-would-mean-something.html |access-date=20 May 2020 |work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London/}}</ref> [[Charlie Bracken|Charlie]], Jack and Lochlan, and they live in Hadley Wood.

==Charitable work==
Bracken is an Honorary President of the rugby charity [[Wooden Spoon Society|Wooden Spoon]] improving the lives of disadvantaged children and young people in Britain and Ireland. He is also an Ambassador of the Royal National Children's Foundation (formerly the Joint Educational trust) which helps support vulnerable, disadvantaged young people at state and independent boarding schools throughout the UK.

In 2009 he presented awards for [[Amersham & Wycombe College]] in their first awards ceremony.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100201133823/http://www.kyran.co.uk/ Personal Website]
* {{ESPNscrum|11678}}

{{England 1995 Rugby World Cup squad}}
{{British and Irish Lions 1997}}
{{England 1999 Rugby World Cup squad}}
{{England 2003 Rugby World Cup squad}}
{{England national rugby union team captains}}
{{Dancing on Ice}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bracken, Kyran}}
[[Category:1971 births]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Bristol]]
[[Category:Bristol Bears players]]
[[Category:English people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:Sportspeople of Irish descent]]
[[Category:England international rugby union players]]
[[Category:English rugby union players]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:People educated at Stonyhurst College]]
[[Category:Reality show winners]]
[[Category:Rugby union scrum-halves]]
[[Category:Saracens F.C. players]]
[[Category:Waterloo F.C. players]]
[[Category:Irish rugby union players]]
[[Category:Rugby union players from County Dublin]]
[[Category:British & Irish Lions rugby union players from England]]
[[Category:Rugby union players from Liverpool]]
[[Category:Irish emigrants to the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1995 Rugby World Cup players]]
[[Category:2003 Rugby World Cup players]]