Simon Shaw hopes he can finally pass his test for the Lions

Chris Jones
29 May 2009

Simon Shaw can take a significant step towards the only major rugby honour he is missing when he appears for the Lions in their opening South African tour game against a Royal XV at Phokeng near Rustenburg.

The London Wasps lock has a World Cup winner and losers' medal along with 10 collected with his club - including two Heineken Cup triumphs - but has yet to appear in a Test match for the Lions even though he is starting his third tour.

He was beaten to the Lions No5 jersey by Ireland's Jeremy Davidson in 1997 as the most famous touring team in the world defeated South Africa 2-1 and spent the 2005 trip to New Zealand in the unbeaten midweek XV.

Shaw, 35, has played in 11 tour matches for the Lions and his last appearance for the 1997 team saw the Wasps lock score two tries in a 67-39 win over Northern Free State.

A repeat of that form tomorrow will help his cause and he admitted: "Winning a jersey would be the icing on the cake because I have been there and done most things, except that Lions Test match appearance. To go on three Lions tours and not appear in a Test would be hard to deal with.

"I felt a bit aggrieved in 1997 when, having won the series 2-0, the coaches opted not to bring in more players for the final match with the Springboks when I felt my form was good enough. It was a wonderful group of players and the team that done the job in the series could have been changed a bit.

"In 2005 I never really thought I had a shot at the side in New Zealand and concentrated on my role with the mid-week squad who remained unbeaten throughout the trip."

This is the first rugby match the Lions will have played under the amended experimental laws which caused so much aimless kicking during the northern hemisphere season.

To the surprise of everyone - including the Lions - the International Rugby Board agreed to revoke the law which, effectively, made the maul redundant as opponents could just pull it down. A South African XV take on Namibia in Windhoek tonight in an attempt to get their players used to the maul again.

The change means the Lions have been offered the chance to cause real damage on this tour with a powerful driving game that is well suited to Shaw's particular strengths along with fellow Wasps Phil Vickery and Joe Worsley and the Munster contingent headed by captain Paul O'Connell, who will be alongside Shaw tomorrow.

Shaw added: "We do have the potential to achieve something special and having the maul back is great news.

"I can now tell John Wells, the England forwards coach, that there still is a place for a mauling, brawling second- row forward in the game because the experimental law change allowed the opposition to totally negate this area of the game as a weapon.

"He thought that time was over and thankfully the law makers recognised the impact it was having on the way the game was evolving and brought it back into play, starting on this tour."

The Royal XV opponents appear underpowered to inflict a very rare opening tour match defeat on the Lions with their players operating below Super 14 level.

There will be keen interest in the form of Andrew Sheridan, the England prop, who is yet to produce consistently damaging performances at the highest level while Andy Powell, the bullocking Wales No8, had a quiet Six Nations championship after causing damage in the autumn internationals.

The last time the Lions lost their opening fixture came against Queensland in 1971 and the team went on to beat the All Blacks in one of the greatest Test series in history. However, that was a 26-match tour and the Lions had time to iron out initial problems while this current party has just six matches before the First Test and must come out with all guns blazing tomorrow.

Boys on tour

* Andy Powell, the Wales No8, became the latest player to be struck down by the Lions injury jinx with an insect bite making him doubtful for the opening tour match against the Royal XV in Rustenburg tomorrow. Powell will face a late fitness test and there is also a doubt over Stephen Ferris, the Ireland flanker who hurt his calf in training on Wednesday. The Lions squad had to deal with serious injury setbacks before they left home and now they are in South Africa even the local insects appear to be against them.

* Ireland's Keith Earls has more reason than most to keep monitoring Leigh Halfpenny's recovery from the thigh injury that has kept him back in Wales for the first two weeks of the tour. That has made Earls (below), 21, the youngest player on tour and responsible for the famous tour mascot, a cuddly Lion who will be placed on the side of the pitch at every match. There are various fines and punishments for not looking after the mascot properly and Halfpenny will take over on arrival as he is only 20.Wales No8 Andy Powell had come up with a name for the mascot, opting for “Powelly”, but the rest of the players have vetoed that idea.