Brackenâ™s wife plays crucial role for squad

Victoria Bracken was the unsung heroine as England defeated South Africa in Perth to clear the way to the World Cup semi-finals.

Victoria, the pregnant wife of England scrum-half Kyran, convinced the Saracens star to keep his World Cup dream alive despite the constant pain of a back injury that threatened to put him on a flight home.

Bracken, whose back problem makes it difficult for him to tie his shoe laces, completed 80 minutes in the No9 jersey to help England secure a vital 25-6 victory and consign South Africa to a likely quarter-final with New Zealand. England are set to play Wales or Italy in the last eight and are favourites to make it to the semis where France should be waiting.

The scrum-half paid tribute to his wife before heading to Melbourne with the England team to prepare for Sunday’s clash with Samoa. He said: “I had a discussion with Victoria and she was adamant that I had to stay out here for the full six weeks. I was worried because my back was unpredictable but she was supportive and it got me through the game.

“My back has been playing up all week but once the game got going it eased off and I felt a lot better having completed the match. I now need to get as much game time as possible and not let the back stiffen up.

“I have to be cautious and do all the work the phsyios give me this week. This first game was only one stage of the process and there are a number still to go. My back felt better for having played and it’s now just being mentally happy and not looking for any aches or pains.”