Simon Shaw
Encyclopedia
Simon Dalton Shaw MBE
(born 1 September 1973 in Nairobi
, Kenya
) is an English
rugby union
player who plays at lock for Toulon and England
.
. Shaw has represented England at various levels including students and Under 21s. He played for Bristol
at 17. This was despite not taking up the game seriously until he was 16, just after his family had moved to England from Kenya. He was educated at Runnymede College
, in Madrid and at Godalming College. Also he played for Cranleigh Rugby Club in his younger years, and he often comes back to train with the youth teams.
at the age of 17. He joined London Wasps
in 1997. Wasps won the Tetley's Bitter Cup in 1999 and retained it the following season with a victory over the Northampton Saints
. Playing against Bath
in August 2000, Shaw became the only lock in the Premiership to have scored a drop goal.
In the 2002–03 season Shaw won the Premiership for the first time, defeating Gloucester in the final. That season Shaw also won his first European silverware with victory against Bath in the Parker Pen European Shield
. The following season saw Wasps retain their Premiership crown and win the Heineken Cup
for the first time.
The 2004–05 season saw Wasps win the Premiership for a third season in a row. The following season Wasps defeated the Scarlets to win the Powergen Cup.
Wasps defeated Leicester Tigers
in the final of the 2006–07 Heineken Cup to become European Champions for the second time.
The following 2007–08 season saw Wasps defeat Leicester Tigers in a final again to regain the Premiership title.
In May 2008, playing against Leeds Carnegie in the last match of the regular season, Shaw became the first player ever to play in 200 Premiership matches.
against Italy
in 1996. The following year Shaw was picked for the successful 1997 British Lions tour to South Africa
. A spate of injuries and Wasps' indifferent form in his first season at the club cost him his England place and although he regained his place in the England squad for the following summer's tour, he was forced to withdraw with a long-standing back injury.
During the 2000 Six Nations
, he had to step in for the injured Martin Johnson. He earned his 20th cap during the 2003 Six Nations
, a tournament which saw England win the Grand Slam
. Shaw played in all three 2003 Rugby World Cup
warm up matches. He was not named in the original 30 man squad but was flown out to Australia due to an injury to Danny Grewcock
, earning him an MBE
as part of the World Cup winning team. He keeps this in a drawer as he feels he didn't "win" it as he never played in a test.
Shaw was called up to the squad for the 2005 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand
after Irish lock Malcolm O'Kelly
aggravated a groin injury in training.
Shaw was selected as a member of the England 2007 Rugby World Cup squad
. Shaw played the full 80 minutes in the 2007 Rugby World Cup Final
.
In recognition of his continued good form with club and country, Shaw was selected for the 2009 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa
. This made him the oldest person to ever be selected and play for a lions team. In South Africa he was awarded his first Lions
cap on his third tour when he was selected to start in the second test against The Springboks
at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
and he put in one of the most outstanding performances by a British lock in a test match, with his performance subsequently earning him man of the match. During the third test in Johannesburg he was yellow-carded for dirty play when he knee-dropped Fourie du Preez
. In 2004 he was red-carded for a similar offence against the All Blacks.
In August 2011 he was selected as part of England's 30 man squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup
. He will be aged 38 during the tournament.
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...
(born 1 September 1973 in Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
) is an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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...
player who plays at lock for Toulon and 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...
.
Biography
At 2.03 metre, he is one of the tallest men to play for EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Shaw has represented England at various levels including students and Under 21s. He played for Bristol
Bristol Rugby
Bristol Rugby is a rugby union club based in Bristol, England. The club currently plays in the RFU Championship and competes in the British and Irish Cup. They rely in large part on the many junior rugby clubs in the region, particularly those from 'the Combination'...
at 17. This was despite not taking up the game seriously until he was 16, just after his family had moved to England from Kenya. He was educated at Runnymede College
Runnymede College
Runnymede College is a co-educational private school located in La Moraleja, Madrid, Spain. It is the oldest British independent school in Spain....
, in Madrid and at Godalming College. Also he played for Cranleigh Rugby Club in his younger years, and he often comes back to train with the youth teams.
Club career
Shaw played for BristolBristol Rugby
Bristol Rugby is a rugby union club based in Bristol, England. The club currently plays in the RFU Championship and competes in the British and Irish Cup. They rely in large part on the many junior rugby clubs in the region, particularly those from 'the Combination'...
at the age of 17. He joined London Wasps
London Wasps
London Wasps is an English professional rugby union team. The men's first team, which forms London Wasps, was derived from Wasps Football Club who were formed in 1867 at the now defunct Eton and Middlesex Tavern in North London, at the turn of professionalism in 1999...
in 1997. Wasps won the Tetley's Bitter Cup in 1999 and retained it the following season with a victory over the Northampton Saints
Northampton Saints
Northampton Saints are a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. The Northampton Saints were formed in 1880. They play in green, black and gold colours. They play their home games at Franklin's Gardens, which has a capacity of 13,591....
. Playing against Bath
Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby is an English professional rugby union club that is based in the city of Bath. They play in the Aviva Premiership league...
in August 2000, Shaw became the only lock in the Premiership to have scored a drop goal.
In the 2002–03 season Shaw won the Premiership for the first time, defeating Gloucester in the final. That season Shaw also won his first European silverware with victory against Bath in the Parker Pen European Shield
European Challenge Cup
The European Challenge Cup, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Amlin Challenge Cup, is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup. The cup was known as the Parker Pen Shield from 2001 to 2003 and Parker Pen Challenge Cup from 2003 to 2005. The European...
. The following season saw Wasps retain their Premiership crown and win the Heineken Cup
Heineken Cup
The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
for the first time.
The 2004–05 season saw Wasps win the Premiership for a third season in a row. The following season Wasps defeated the Scarlets to win the Powergen Cup.
Wasps defeated Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...
in the final of the 2006–07 Heineken Cup to become European Champions for the second time.
The following 2007–08 season saw Wasps defeat Leicester Tigers in a final again to regain the Premiership title.
In May 2008, playing against Leeds Carnegie in the last match of the regular season, Shaw became the first player ever to play in 200 Premiership matches.
International career
He won his first England capCap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
against Italy
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
in 1996. The following year Shaw was picked for the successful 1997 British Lions tour to South Africa
1997 British Lions tour to South Africa
The 1997 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa was a series of matches played by the British and Irish Lions rugby union team in South Africa.This tour followed the Lions' 1993 tour to New Zealand and preceded their 2001 tour to Australia....
. A spate of injuries and Wasps' indifferent form in his first season at the club cost him his England place and although he regained his place in the England squad for the following summer's tour, he was forced to withdraw with a long-standing back injury.
During the 2000 Six Nations
2000 Six Nations Championship
The 2000 Six Nations Championship was the first series of the Six Nations Championship, following the inclusion of Italy into the Five Nations championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the hundred-and-sixth series of the northern hemisphere...
, he had to step in for the injured Martin Johnson. He earned his 20th cap during the 2003 Six Nations
2003 Six Nations Championship
The 2003 Six Nations Championship was the fourth series of the Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the hundred-and-ninth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship...
, a tournament which saw England win the Grand Slam
Grand Slam (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, a Grand Slam occurs when one team in the Six Nations Championship manages to beat all the others during one year's competition...
. Shaw played in all three 2003 Rugby World Cup
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
warm up matches. He was not named in the original 30 man squad but was flown out to Australia due to an injury to Danny Grewcock
Danny Grewcock
Daniel Jonathan Grewcock MBE is a retired English rugby union rugby lock who played for Bath, England and the British and Irish Lions...
, earning him an MBE
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...
as part of the World Cup winning team. He keeps this in a drawer as he feels he didn't "win" it as he never played in a test.
Shaw was called up to the squad for the 2005 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand
2005 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand
In 2005 the British and Irish Lions rugby union team toured New Zealand for the first time since 1993, playing 7 tour matches against first and second division clubs from the National Provincial Championship series, 1 tour match against the national New Zealand all Māori club, and 3 official test...
after Irish lock Malcolm O'Kelly
Malcolm O'Kelly
Malcolm O'Kelly is a retired Irish rugby union player who played as a lock for Ireland and Leinster....
aggravated a groin injury in training.
Shaw was selected as a member of the England 2007 Rugby World Cup squad
2007 Rugby World Cup squads
This article lists the official squads for the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France. Each of the twenty nations was required to confirm their 30-man squad by 14 August...
. Shaw played the full 80 minutes in the 2007 Rugby World Cup Final
2007 Rugby World Cup Final
The 2007 Rugby World Cup Final was a rugby union match, played on Saturday, 20 October 2007 at the Stade de France, Saint-Denis, Paris. The match determined the winner of the 2007 Rugby World Cup and the de facto world champions for the next four years...
.
In recognition of his continued good form with club and country, Shaw was selected for the 2009 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa
2009 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa
The 2009 British and Irish Lions Tour to South Africa was an international rugby union tour which took place in South Africa from May to July 2009....
. This made him the oldest person to ever be selected and play for a lions team. In South Africa he was awarded his first Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
cap on his third tour when he was selected to start in the second test against The Springboks
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
and he put in one of the most outstanding performances by a British lock in a test match, with his performance subsequently earning him man of the match. During the third test in Johannesburg he was yellow-carded for dirty play when he knee-dropped Fourie du Preez
Fourie du Preez
Petrus Fourie du Preez is a rugby union player. His position of choice is scrum half. Du Preez plays for the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup competition in South Africa and the Bulls in the international Super 14 competition...
. In 2004 he was red-carded for a similar offence against the All Blacks.
In August 2011 he was selected as part of England's 30 man squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
. He will be aged 38 during the tournament.