Tony Shaw

Anthony Alexander Shaw is an Australian former rugby union player. A Queensland state and national representative flanker, Shaw captained the national side consistently from 1978 to 1982.

Early life and style Tony Shaw was born 23 March 1953 in Brisbane, Queensland. His early rugby was played at St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace in Brisbane. He was a proficient water-polo player and represented for Queensland in that sport.

Shaw's greatest rugby success was achieved at flanker, he was a hard driving forward who lead from the front and was an outstanding rucker and mauler. Howell asserts that although the standard of Australian representative sides during the early 1970s was less than consistently world-class, Shaw would have been competitive in the best All Black packs of that and any other era.

Early in his career Shaw played at number-eight and although he was picked in the Queensland team of 1974 against the visiting All Blacks, Mark Loane was preferred by the selectors at number 8 for the three Test matches against those visitors. Shaw set out at that point to become the first-choice flanker in the national side. In 1975 he was back in the Australian team at breakaway for two domestic Tests against England and one against Japan. He made the 1975–76 Australia rugby union tour of Britain and Ireland and played in nineteen of the total twenty-six matches. He was the only back-rower to play in all five Test matches of the tour.

Shaw played again for his country against Scotland in 1982 and against Argentina in 1983 but his rugby career ended in 1983 at age 31 following an appearance for the Queensland B team against the All Blacks. In total, Shaw played thirty-six tests for the Wallabies between 1973 and 1982. He made a further forty-eight tour match appearances including some matches as a lock or number eight. He captained the Aussies for fifteen Tests and a further fourteen international tour matches. He is Australian cap number 565. Howell regards Shaw and one of the greatest captains Australia has ever had. and was named as an Australian Rugby Union Classic Statesman that same year.