HE IS England’s last line of defence and one of their most potent attackers.

If the host nation is to lift the Rugby World Cup it’s likely that Southampton-born fullback Mike Brown will have played a major role.

The 30-year-old plays the game like a man possessed for Harlequins and England and his demeanour has earned him the nickname Mr Angry from his team mates.

However, there’s a softer side to the hard man – who admits to being shy and reticent off the pitch.

The original metrosexual David Beckham is one of Mike’s sporting idols and like his hero he likes “shopping and nice clothes”.

No doubt he receives plenty of styling tips from his fiancée, Eliza Woodcock.

The blonde fashion designer, daughter of former England footballer Tony, runs her own label Scarlett Black and is a graduate of the London College of Fashion.

“People often expect me to know a lot about sports but, to be honest, I really didn’t at first. Mike and I met three years ago through mutual friends on a night out in Clapham. I didn’t know anything about rugby at the time, but now I go to all of his home games. I can say I’ve learned a lot,” said Eliza.

She spent her early childhood in Germany while her father was playing for Cologne and then the family moved back to Richmond.

Daily Echo: Tony Woodcock

After working as a fashion buyer, Eliza achieved her dream to become a designer and lists her dresses being featured in Italian Vogue among her greatest accomplishments.

Among Eliza’s customers are Hampshire born Sky Sports presenter Charlotte Jackson and singer Camilla Kerslake, the girlfriend of Mike’s England skipper and fellow Harlequins player Chris Robshaw.

Mike and Eliza, who live in Esher, Surrey, were engaged a year ago but delayed their wedding to 2016 as World Cup business comes first.

However, earlier this year Mike’s place in the squad was in doubt when he suffered a long lay-off due to concussion.

Mike was grateful for the support and encouragement of Eliza during a time when he admits he must have been an “absolute pain”.

His future father-in-law Tony, who has become a convert to the oval ball game, was also a great support.

“He is a great help when you have low or high times.

He offers his support, whether you’ve played well or you haven’t, and he has been through exactly the same in his sport, the rollercoaster of being a sportsman.”

Woodcock may be one of Mike’s biggest fans but it was reported that he asked former England international Jason Leonard to use his connections with Harlequins to check out his prospective son-in-law.

Mike’s own father, who played rugby for Yorkshire, suffers from multiple sclerosis, made worse by a back infection, and uses a wheelchair which means he seldom sees his son play live.

“It’s hard seeing him in a chair. It forced him to give up working for the fire service and now from watching live games. He is a similar character to me and he taught me to appreciate everything,” said Mike.

Daily Echo: Mike Brown celebrates a try against Fiji

His father’s condition probably fuelled Mike’s involvement with wheelchair rugby, after Tony Woodcock alerted him to the sport, which in many ways is more violent than the conventional game.

Mike, who studied at Wyvern College Salisbury, and then Peter Symonds College, Winchester, came to rugby late and because he has not followed the accepted route into the game he has often come across as something of an outsider.

“I was never the biggest or the best. I failed to play county or representative rugby and I didn’t go to a rugby-playing school. Once I became a regular with Quins I never felt I got the respect I believed I deserved,” he said.

Daily Echo: Mike Brown collects an England cap with Eliza

“I played at No10 before I went to Peter Symonds and the coach Mike Marchant, who is still in charge, said he wanted me to play full-back, because he thought I would do well there,” he explained.

“Being a stubborn teenager I resisted, and everyone wants to be the playmaker.

“I’m thankful that he was persistent, though, as once I moved to No15 I never looked back.”

With his two-try man-of-the-match game in the World Cup opener against Fiji, Mike hit the ground running – good news for the rugby union authorities and England team sponsor O2 who had made him a key figure in their Wear The Rose campaign.

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