Shaw: Irish have character to pass final test

AS A MAN who witnessed first hand how the likes of Martin Johnson, Lawrence Dallaglio and Jonny Wilkinson imposed themselves on England’s victorious 2003 World Cup-winning side, Simon Shaw knows how important force of personality can be in a successful rugby team.

And the good news is that he recognises the same leaders and characters in the Ireland selection that Declan Kidney will send into the bear pit of the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday evening.

The second row forward, a veteran of over half a century of games at the coal face of international rugby, admits he will have a beady eye on the events at the Millennium Stadium, where Ireland know victory will secure their first Grand Slam title since 1948.

Having played under Warren Gatland — the Wales head coach — for three years at Wasps, where the New Zealander’s assistant, Shaun Edwards, is head coach, you would think Shaw would be supporting the hosts.

Yet while he predicts Gatland will have “one or two” surprises in store for Ireland, what has impressed 35-year-old Shaw most is how players such as Brian O’Driscoll and Paul O’Connell have developed into bona fide leaders, the likes of whom will relish the challenge in Cardiff.

And after watching Ireland follow a fine 30-21 victory over France on the opening day of the Championship with laboured victories over Italy, England and Scotland, Shaw believes it is that cult of personality which has transformed Ireland from perennial also-rans to the verge of a Six Nations clean sweep.

“When you have been playing with a group (of players) for a long period and you’ve gone through the ups and downs — maybe the downs more than anything — it builds you into a team that eventually says ‘enough is enough, we can’t lose these crucial games anymore’,” explained Shaw, who will start for England against Scotland on Saturday.

“It’s a case of the personalities involved just not being able to give up — and that’s something that was very much a feature of England’s World Cup-winning side.

“In that World Cup England didn’t play particularly well, but they had that will to win, from numbers one to 22 in the squad. You look at Ireland, and one week they’ve played very well and won, and in other weeks have played pretty awfully and still won.”

Yet Ireland go into the game as slight underdogs — in large part due to Gatland, the former Ireland coach, who has already stoked the fires by claiming that Wales love to beat the Irish more than any other nation, despite seeing hopes of back-to-back grand slams fade away with defeat in France last month.

But Shaw has warned that there is still plenty of fight left in the dog — and predicts that, knowing Gatland as well as he does, the mind-games will continue until the eve of the game, with potential on-pitch shenanigans to rival that of Johnson’s at Lansdowne Road, where he forced President Mary McAleese to muddy her shoes after lining up on the wrong side of the red carpet.

“Knowing some of the coaching staff involved with Wales and knowing their characters, they’ll have something up their sleeves for Ireland,” laughs 6’8” Shaw. “I haven’t got a clue what — but there will be something!

“Warren likes to use the media to start those mind games — it’s fantastic and all adds to the spice of the game. But to me it looks like Ireland’s year — although you never can tell!”