Robert Wilson Shaw
Encyclopedia
Robert Wilson Shaw CBE
(11 April 1913 – 23 July 1979) was a Scottish
rugby union
footballer who played for Scotland
in 19 Tests between 1934 and 1939. Shaw played club for Glasgow High School Former Pupils, and could play in several positions in the backline; including wing, centre and fullback. He first represented Scotland in 1934 when he played all three of her Home International Championship
matches (against England
, Ireland
, and Wales
). He scored his first try
in the Calcutta Cup
match against England that year. He is most famous however for guiding Scotland to their Triple Crown
victory over England at Twickenham in 1938. Shaw's performance was central to Scotland's 21–16 victory and he was carried off the field on the shoulders of his team-mates. The match became known as "Wilson Shaw's match". In 2002 Shaw was inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
.
Wilson Shaw also played the All Blacks
in 1935 in a Combined Edinburgh and Glasgow XV.
Shaw was selected for the Great Britain
team that toured Argentina in 1936
. Although no caps were awarded for the tour, Shaw was part of the one Test of the tour, a 23-0 victory over Argentina
.
on 19 March. The match was played in front of 70,000 spectators. This was also the first ever rugby international to be televised. Shaw scored one try in the first half, and Scotland led 12–9 at the break. In the second half Scotland frequently penetrated the England defence. Shaw came close several times to scoring a second try, before three minutes from full time to help Scotland to a 21–16 win. Scotland had outscored England five tries to one, and Shaw was widely credited with inspiring the win. The match became known as "Wilson Shaw's match".
Since was still banned from the competition at this stage, this would have been the nearest thing to a Scottish Grand Slam.
Seasoned player and journalist J.B.G. Thomas wrote of Glasgow High School FP fly-half Wilson Shaw "I cannot ever remember seeing an outside half with greater speed off the mark than shaw."
Richard Bath writes:
His brother Ian
was also a Scotland cap.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(11 April 1913 – 23 July 1979) was a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
footballer who played for Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
in 19 Tests between 1934 and 1939. Shaw played club for Glasgow High School Former Pupils, and could play in several positions in the backline; including wing, centre and fullback. He first represented Scotland in 1934 when he played all three of her Home International Championship
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
matches (against England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
, Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
, and Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
). He scored his first try
Try
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
in the Calcutta Cup
Calcutta Cup
The Calcutta Cup is a rugby union trophy awarded to the winner of the annual Six Nations Championship match between England and Scotland. It is currently England's since the 2009 Six Nations Championship....
match against England that year. He is most famous however for guiding Scotland to their Triple Crown
Triple Crown (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, the Triple Crown is an honour contested annually by the four national teams of the British Isles who compete within the larger Six Nations Championship: England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. If any one team manages to win all their games against the other three they win the...
victory over England at Twickenham in 1938. Shaw's performance was central to Scotland's 21–16 victory and he was carried off the field on the shoulders of his team-mates. The match became known as "Wilson Shaw's match". In 2002 Shaw was inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
The Scottish Sports Hall of Fame is the national sports hall of fame in Scotland, initiated on St Andrew's Day 2001. It is a joint project organised by sportscotland, the national governmental body for Scottish sport, and the National Museums of Scotland. It is also funded by BBC Scotland and...
.
Wilson Shaw also played the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
in 1935 in a Combined Edinburgh and Glasgow XV.
Shaw was selected for the Great Britain
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
team that toured Argentina in 1936
1936 British Lions tour to Argentina
The 1936 Great Britain tour of Argentina was a series of rugby union matches arranged between a British invitational team and various Argentine teams. The tourists played ten matches, nine of which were against club and combined teams while one match took in a full Argentina national team...
. Although no caps were awarded for the tour, Shaw was part of the one Test of the tour, a 23-0 victory over Argentina
Argentina national rugby union team
The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...
.
1938 Triple Crown
Shaw participated in all three of Scotland's Championship matches in 1938. The first was against Wales which Scotland won 8–6 on 5 February. Although Scotland only scored one try to Wales two, their superior kicking gave them the victory. Their next match was against Ireland on 26 February, and again Scotland won—this time 23–14. Shaw had a good game, although he did not score any tries. The last match of the Championship was against England at Twickenham StadiumTwickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
on 19 March. The match was played in front of 70,000 spectators. This was also the first ever rugby international to be televised. Shaw scored one try in the first half, and Scotland led 12–9 at the break. In the second half Scotland frequently penetrated the England defence. Shaw came close several times to scoring a second try, before three minutes from full time to help Scotland to a 21–16 win. Scotland had outscored England five tries to one, and Shaw was widely credited with inspiring the win. The match became known as "Wilson Shaw's match".
Since was still banned from the competition at this stage, this would have been the nearest thing to a Scottish Grand Slam.
Playing attributes
Shaw's playing qualities were considered somewhat of an enigma. He was fast, could run well, could pass and dummy pass, and could sidestep many defenders. However Shaw was considered a flawed genius due to his inconsistency. Whilst he was without equal on his day, he could also produce performances equally as poor. The weakest technical aspect of his game was considered his kicking, and his defence could also be poor. Despite this, following the Triple Crown winning victory over England in 1938, the press proclaimed him "the greatest rugby player of his generation".Seasoned player and journalist J.B.G. Thomas wrote of Glasgow High School FP fly-half Wilson Shaw "I cannot ever remember seeing an outside half with greater speed off the mark than shaw."
Richard Bath writes:
- "Shaw was so consistently outstanding at fly-half that became Scotland's regular No. 10, eventually becoming captain and leading Scotland to the Triple Crown in 1938."
His brother Ian
Ian Shaw (rugby union)
Ian Shaw was a Scottish international rugby union player.He was capped once for in 1937. He also played for Glasgow High School FP RFC.His brother Wilson Shaw was also capped for Scotland.-References:...
was also a Scotland cap.