Shelford's test for the Bracken heart

While Saracens were amassing 87 points against poor old Dinamo Bucuresti in Romania last weekend, Kyran Bracken was taking time out to enjoy a stroll in the Yorkshire Dales. "I have a life outside rugby,'' he pointed out.

It is just as well, for the England scrum-half is not being unduly burdened by his club. When the former All Black Wayne Shelford replaced the former Springbok Francois Pienaar as the Saracens coach, Bracken's career appeared to be at an all-time high. He signed a long-term contract and was made club captain, having already established his leadership credentials by captaining England on their North American tour in 2001, earning fulsome praise from Clive Woodward.

Last month Saracens, with Bracken in partnership with Andy Goode, the recruit from Leicester, got off to a flyer in the Zurich Premiership with victories over Bristol and Bath. In the next two games, against London Irish and Wasps, they conceded 83 points, after which the captain found he was not indispensable. Shelford opted for Morgan Williams, the Canadian international scrum-half signed from Stade Français and Bracken was demoted to the bench. "If there's one thing I've learnt about professional rugby it is that you can go from hero to zero very quickly,'' Bracken said.

"Things have taken a turn for the worse but I've just got to keep plugging away. I thought I was playing well up to the Wasps game and I haven't had a chance since. I've got to keep looking at the bigger picture.''

It's not easy focusing on the large screen when you're spending most of your time looking over your shoulder. Shelford, who has made it clear reputations count for nothing, felt Bracken needed a break. What the player wants more than anything is to play.

At the start of the season Woodward rang Bracken and told him he was happy with his game. Since then Andy Gomarsall, working behind the formidable Gloucester pack, has moved into pole position for England's autumn programme at Twickenham against New Zealand, Australia and South Africa next month. Gomarsall already had an advantage as the man in possession, playing against Argentina in Buenos Aires in the summer in the absence of Bracken and Matt Dawson.

Although all three were named on Thursday in Woodward's 33-man élite squad, Bracken admitted: "I'm resigned to the fact it will be difficult to get my England place back. If you are not playing for your club you can hardly expect to play for your country.''

Shelford does not subscribe to the view that the Premiership is on a par with the Southern Hemisphere's Super 12. His school of thought is that there are players in England who are overpaid, over- indulged and under-coached.

"I want to instil some desire, passion and excellence into my players,'' he said. "When I arrived I found a group of underachievers, a talented squad low on confidence and short on leadership. There was a leadership issue from the directors down. There was no toughness. There was a lot of strutting around but no real discipline. When my players report for training they forget their wives, girlfriends, their weekends, their social lives.''

In addition to training sessions at 6.30 in the morning, Shelford's approach has been unorthodox. A winning start did not stop him making wholesale changes. When two vice-captains were nominated, the centre Kevin Sorrell and the lock Craig Yandell, it was thought they would be the understudies for when Bracken was on international duty. Last week Shelford played Brett Sparg, a one-time full back at scrum-half. He also gave Craig Quinnell, who joined from Cardiff, his first run in the second row. For the return leg against Bucharest in the Parker Pen Challenge Cup at Vicarage Road today, Bracken will be at Watford but is not expected to play a part.

"It's been very frustrating,'' he said, "and there's been a lot of chopping and changing but I am not making an issue of anything. As captain I've got to be a team player and get on with it. Buck has been very impressive. He's turned things around. He's brought an honesty to our training and the team spirit is the best I can remember. We've just been inconsistent. When we've lost our defence has been bad and our basics have gone to pot. Everybody believes in Buck and we're striving for better performances. I'm training hard and I'll do everything I need to get back in." He might have added that the buck stops with the captain except the captain isn't playing.

Shelford told Bracken he wanted to keep him fresh. Resting him against the depleted Romanians is understandable; omitting him in the Premiership is mystifying. If Bracken, England's first choice in the Six Nations last season, is to stand a chance of continuing his Test career he has to play against Leicester at Vicarage Road next Sunday.

In his seventh season at Saracens the graph of Bracken's progress would look like a row of tents. In addition to serious injuries there has been his almost constant battle for the England No 9 jersey with Dawson. "I'm used to it, although I'd rather not be," he said. "I'm not down and out.''