My rugby hero: Simon Shaw

During the 2019/20 season, we dig through the archives to highlight a hero from years gone by. Next up, it’s England, Lions and Wasps great Simon Shaw.

Player background

Simon Dalton Shaw was born on 1 September, 1973 in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, and spent much of his early years in Spain, but he would become a key part of English rugby. After taking up the sport at the age of 16 following his family’s move to Surrey, Shaw’s talents were obvious and Bristol soon snapped him up a year later. Standing at an imposing 6ft 8in, the second-row had all the physical qualities to be a success but his skill set was also impressive.

The lock excelled at Bristol and his form earned him a call-up to the World Cup squad in 1995, but a ruptured knee ligament ended his chances of appearing in the tournament. Shaw would finally make his England debut in 1996 against Italy before he moved to Wasps a year later, a place where the powerhouse forward would remain for 14 years.

Despite starting all of the Red Rose’s Five Nations matches under Jack Rowell in 1997, opportunities became limited for the second-row following the appointment of Clive Woodward, who took over after Rowell’s retirement. As a result, he missed the 1999 global tournament before becoming more of a fixture in the lead up to the 2003 World Cup.

Once again, however, it ended in disappointment with Danny Grewcock selected ahead of him for the squad that initially travelled to Australia. An injury to the Bath man meant that Shaw did finally receive a belated call-up, but the winners’ medal he eventually received meant little given that he did not appear in a single game. The forward did not lack persistence, though, and he became a mainstay of the international squad in the subsequent four years, finally getting his World Cup opportunity in 2007.

Unsurprisingly, Shaw shone, impressing as the Red Rose shocked Australia in the quarter-final and France in the last-four to reach a surprise showpiece event. Although they would succumb to South Africa in the final, he would get a chance to avenge that defeat in the British and Irish Lions tour two years later. Unfortunately for the lock and the Lions, it ended in a 2-1 series loss, but the Wasps player was one of those to come away with real credit.

Shaw’s remarkable international career would end at the age 37 following England’s World Cup disappointment in New Zealand but he continued at Toulon until finally retiring from the sport in 2013, ending one of the more incredible stories from the past 30 years.

His rugby moment

‘Underappreciated’ and ‘unfortunate’ are two words which probably encapsulate Shaw. Despite incredible longevity and a durability few other rugby players could match, particularly as the game became more and more physical, Shaw should have easily amassed over 100 caps.

Legend of the game Martin Johnson, who was an inspirational leader and brilliant player, generally stood in his way, but the Wasps man’s skills were often underutilised by those that coached him. It was only later in his career that people truly understood his brilliance and between 2007 and 2009, he became an especially key figure.

First of all, it was England’s run to the World Cup final in ’07, before Shaw continued his fine form and was handed a chance in a British and Irish Lions squad by Ian McGeechan. That was where the second-row’s greatest moment came.

Once again, he was rather overlooked initially after being left out of the first Test but the experienced Englishman was seen as the physical presence in the front five that could take on the bruising South African pack. Having succumbed 26-21 in the opening game, they needed to increase the intensity and Shaw provided that brutality around the field.

At the age of 35, thus becoming the oldest man to be selected for a Lions Test, the Wasps forward was utterly brilliant and received a rare perfect 10 for his performance. It would all end in heartbreak as Morne Steyn kicked a last-gasp penalty to snatch a 28-25 victory for the Springboks – a result which confirmed the series win for the hosts – but Shaw was a real hero on that day.

He left everything out on the field, only to see his and the team’s dreams shattered by a devastating blow inflicted by the replacement South African fly-half. It was cruel on the lock and those emotions spilled over to the post-match interviewed as a drained Shaw was comforted by reporter Graham Simmons.

The England international would have some consolation in the third game, starting once again as the tourists claimed a dominant 28-9 triumph in Johannesburg. It wasn’t quite as auspicious for the lock, however, after he received a yellow card for putting his knee into scrum-half Fourie du Preez, but the Simon Shaw story was one of the abiding memories of that great Lions series.