Shaw thing for England?

Simon Shaw can be forgiven for not taking World Cup selection for granted as he ponders his first England start for three years against Wales on Saturday.

The genial Wasps giant, 34, has the dubious distinction of owning a World Cup winner's medal having never played in the tournament, despite being in contention for the last three.

A career-threatening knee injury ruled him out of the 1995 edition in South Africa, and he missed selection in 1999.

Four years ago Sir Clive Woodward had the difficult task of informing Shaw he had again been unable to find a place for him in his 30-man squad, eliciting, Shaw admitted, a "couple of four-letter words" in response.

The 6ft 9in lock's frustration with that turn of events was entirely understandable.

Having been named man-of-the-match in a trouncing of Wales in Cardiff weeks earlier, and also featured as a replacement in the following two warm-up fixtures against France, Shaw appeared well set for an Australian tour of duty.

He was subsequently summoned down under as a replacement for the injured Danny Grewcock, and sat on the bench for the quarter-final win over Wales.

But despite receiving a medal as part of the squad that clinched glory in Sydney, he has still yet to feature in the tournament.

Perhaps his luck is about to change.

Shaw appears to have moved to the front of the queue of five locks - including Martin Corry, who edged Shaw out of the 2003 squad - vying for probably four World Cup spots.

"He's a big presence at the front of the line-out," head coach Brian Ashton noted when explaining Shaw's selection for Saturday's tussle with Wales.

"Providing he does the job in the warm-up games, against the likes of South Africa (in their crucial World Cup pool clash) people like Bakkies Botha will turn around and look at a guy just as big as he is, if not bigger."

A powerful display at Twickenham, then, should be enough to book Shaw's spot on the plane to France.

"It's exceptionally exciting," he told BBC Sport. "It's a huge game and hopefully I can prove myself at the weekend."

That may sound strange coming from a 34-year-old coming towards the end of his career.

But this will be only the 30th cap of an international career stretching back more than a decade.

Shaw has not played for England since a replacement outing against Samoa in 2005, and not started a Test since the 2004 tour of New Zealand - where he was harshly sent off - and Australia.

"I was bitterly disappointed not to be involved in the autumn internationals or Six Nations this year," he added.

"But my form for Wasps, especially at the end of the season and in the Heineken Cup, has been at such a level that I deserved another chance.

"I feel like I have had the consistency of performance and level of performance that would warrant selection at international level but obviously that hasn't been the case. I've never had a thorough explanation as to why.

"It's a difficult one for me. I've always guessed it may be to do with my defensive line-out work but I always felt I had something to offer that other second-rowers didn't, whether that's to be a disruptive influence in the maul area or whatever.

"But I always felt I was more than capable of playing in the England team and adding something to that team.

"I have been striving all last season to reach this goal of getting to the World Cup and now I want to go out and do it."

Source: BBC Sport