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Ireland may be cautious about their chances of winning the Rugby World Cup this year in England, but rugby giant Simon ‘Shawesy’ Shaw reckons they can go all the way and lift the trophy.
During his visit to Bahrain at the weekend he told GulfWeekly that he believes the Six Nations champions have what it takes to scare the southern hemisphere giants of the game.
Shaw, who won 71 Caps for England, three Lions Tours, a World Cup Winners Medal and in his final year – a Heineken Cup triumph with Toulon, the famous French side based in the large military city on the Mediterranean coast where he still lives with his wife, Jane, and their four children, said: “I think Ireland have come on so far in a short space of time … they are hard to ignore.
“They’ve won the Six Nations Championship a couple of years on the trot and they’ve broken into the category historically England have sat in, see themselves at the top of the ladder in Europe and occasionally able to knock off one of the southern hemisphere sides, which Ireland haven’t done as often as perhaps they should have in the past. However, they have managed to do so recently and look more likely to do so in the future. They are up there most certainly.”
However, the Irish still carry a few scars. Eight years ago, they were pipped to the 2007 Six Nations title – by France – by a points difference margin even narrower than the one they held over England in the most recent contest. They went to the World Cup later that year in confident mood, counted amongst the favourites, but they came back with their tails between their legs, knocked out in the pool stage of a tournament in which they came within a whisker of being beaten by Georgia.
Although some players are bullish about their chances, Ireland’s captain Paul O’Connell remains cautious and told reporters: “We’d love to go there and do well. One thing that has suited us in the last 18 months is that we haven’t got too far ahead of ourselves.”
If they are going to find any success this time round they will have to tame the likes of New Zealand and Australia when it really matters.
Shaw agreed, saying: “You have always got to have an eye on New Zealand. They may go into it as favourites and although historically have not performed as they should have in this tournament, they’ll be in the mix.
“The other team to look out for is Australia, they’ve been in the doldrums of late but they still have a competitive will to win. Whilst everyone may think they are dead and buried I think they could spring a surprise. The problem for England is that they are in their group!
“As the home team England have every chance of reaching the final … but the problem they may face is getting out of the group stage.”
Shaw also has forthright views when it comes to some of the controversial issues surrounding today’s professional game. For example, he feels current training regimes and control over the lives of players is detrimental to their health and overall well-being – a number of top class players have had their careers ended by injury caused as a result of a seemingly never-ending quest for power and pace.
As for the salary cap on players in England, it should be increased to keep the top stars playing domestically, he believes, not dropped altogether, and the fact that France are having a miserable time on the field of play has nothing to do with the number of overseas players attracted to ply their trade in the country for high salaries, it’s more about the lack of quality coaches pooled from former players.
And, if it comes to a choice of club or country, club should always come first, according to Shaw, as it’s the club that invests in the player and performances at club level are the reason a player is called up for international duty in the first place.
Expat Shaw followed an unusual route to the top of the game, having been born in Kenya to English parents and subsequently raised in Spain. It wasn’t until age 16, when his family returned to the UK, that he discovered the sport that would eventually see him achieve stardom, but his natural abilities were apparent from the start and by age 17 he was mixing with the men and playing top-flight club rugby with Bristol.
“Looking back, I realise how young and naive I was about how this sport would shape my future life. Growing up in Kenya and Spain I never thought I would one day be playing rugby for England and had more interest in basketball – as I was always very tall.”
Today, Shaw, 6ft 8ins tall in his socks, is an ambassador for rugby and a spokesperson for HSBC – a bank helping to grow the game around the world and develop the next generation of players just like him, as part of its corporate social responsibility activities.
Last weekend’s festival in Bahrain was an important fixture on the Middle East youth rugby calendar and attracted teams from U7 to U16 travelling from all around the Gulf region to compete and forge new friendships. It is these friendships and the enjoyment of the sport that Shaw sees as the key to any future success.
He said: “At a young age, I believe that all sport, whatever it may be, starts with enjoyment – running around with your mates and having fun. Of course, you need ability to make it to the top, but if the enjoyment is not there from the start then you quickly lose interest. So I take my hat off to all the parents and coaches here in Bahrain for making this event so enjoyable for the kids.
“It’s massively important to have the sport introduced to people at a young age all over the world and it’s crucial that activities like this happen in these small enclaves of rugby communities to encourage youngsters to play and enjoy the game.”
This is a view shared by Mehdi Honar, the chairman of Bahrain Rugby Football Club, who has witnessed the growth of the sport here for 15 years. “Grassroots rugby plays a pivotal role in the future of the sport in Bahrain,” he explained. “This festival helps bring budding young talents together and provides a fun and healthy environment for all players.
“This year we are celebrating the 22nd anniversary of this fantastic festival and it is amazing to see the volume of players who come together to compete and celebrate the spirit of the sport.”
* Listen to Shaw’s full interview with Editor Stan Szecowka by visiting www.gulfweekly.com
