Behind the Scrum

At the age of 22, Kyran Bracken made his England debut in the toughest imaginable circumstances, taking on the formidable All Blacks. From the start he was targeted by the opposition, but he battled on through the painful knocks to help his side to a rare victory. Things didn't get any easier in the rest of his career. For years, he was competing with first Dewi Morris and then Matt Dawson for England's No 9 shirt, yet still he managed to win 51 caps. But that was not his most difficult battle: there were chronic back problems that put him out of the game for months on end, and psychological demons that had a huge impact on his life. Bracken's story is not a simple one of games played and victories won; it is a moving account of one man's struggle with himself, brilliantly told by one of rugby's most intelligent and charming characters. It is more than a rugby story, but a tale of triumph over adversity that will appeal far beyond the rugby market.