12 YEARS IN THE MAKING, BUT NOW SHAW IS FLYING HIGH; No more complacency for giant Simon.Byline: ALEX SPINK THE LIONS 2ND TEST COUNTDOWN TOMORROW, PRETORIA 2PM KICK-OFF SIMON SHAW Simon Dalton Shaw (born 1 September 1973 in Nairobi, Kenya) is a rugby union player who plays at lock for Wasps and England. At 6' 9” (2.05 m), he is one of the tallest men to play for England. completes his Incredible Journey to a Lions Test jersey tomorrow admitting he has only himself to blame for it taking so long. The England lock finally achieved his goal when Ian McGeechan Ian McGeechan (born on October 30 1946) is a highly successful former rugby union footballer and coach. His nickname is "Geech". Playing career He played for Headingley and made his debut for Scotland in 1972. He won thirty-two caps, playing at fly-half and centre. confirmed that he had changed a third of the team that lost the first Test. After one of the longest waits in Lions history - three tours and 17 outings in the famous red shirt - Shaw at last gets the chance he thought was his back in 1997. The 35-year-old joins Matthew Rees Matthew Rees (born 9 December, 1980) is a Welsh rugby union footballer who currently plays for the Llanelli Scarlets in the Celtic League. His usual position is at hooker. He previously played for the now defunct Celtic Warriors and Pontypridd. , Adam Jones, Rob Kearney Rob Kearney (born 26 March 1986) is a professional Irish rugby union player, who currently plays for Leinster. Kearney attended Clongowes Wood College and UCD Leinster Career and Luke Fitzgerald Luke Fitzgerald (born 13 September 1987) is a Rugby Union footballer. He currently plays ledge at full back or centre for Leinster. Having previously studied at Blackrock College he won two Leinster Schools Senior Cups, in 2004 and 2006, but losing to Belvedere College in 2005. in being drafted in for a game the Lions must win to keep the series alive. "It's been a hell of a journey and a hell of a lot of hard work has gone into it," admitted Shaw, who first became a Lion when a young Tony Blair was moving his furniture into Downing Street. Given that 12 years ago here in South Africa he and Martin Johnson were the Lions' first-choice lock pairing going into first Test week it is staggering he has had to wait until now for his chance. But Shaw confessed: "I took everything a bit for granted on that tour and almost assumed I'd be playing. "That slight bit of complacency cost me dearly and it's taken me this long to make up for it." Missing out to Jeremy Davidson in 1997 hit him hard, transforming his confidence levels from fireproof fire·proof adj. Impervious or resistant to damage by fire. tr.v. fire·proofed, fire·proof·ing, fire·proofs To make fireproof. Verb 1. - "I thought I was going to win 100 caps" - to flammable. "Before I was just riding a wave and enjoying what I was able to achieve," he said. "When you're on a roll you think everything is happening for a reason and it just comes very easily. It's only as you get older and chances are more limited that you get a real appreciation of what you're doing. "Every year I've had to reassure myself that I can still play this game because in this business, you have to keep building yourself up because no one else will do it for you." His reward is to partner Lions captain Paul O'Connell against the world's most formidable lock duo of Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha in their own backyard at Loftus Versfeld. Shaw insists he fears no opponent, which is just as well as these ones have the potential to be pretty scary. But the Lions must front up to them - certainly better than they did in Durban. Out of the squad go the English trio of Phil Vickery, Lee Mears and Ugo Monye. Lee Byrne, the full-back replaced by Kearney, is to fly home after breaking his left thumb in training. SHAW THE LION - 17 STEPS TO A TEST CAP 1997 tour to SA (1) Eastern Province (2) Western Province (3) Mpumalanga (4) Northern Transvaal (5) Natal (6) Free State (7) Northern Free State 2005 tour to NZ (8) NZ Maori (9) Otago (10) Southland (11) Manawatu (12) Auckland 2009 tour to SA (13) Royal XV (14) Sharks (15) Western Province (16) Southern Kings (17) Emerging Boks CAPTION(S): TALL ORDER Shaw (right) and Jones (below) will join the Lions pack in Pretoria SPOT ON Yesterday's Mirror told you first |
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