Glyndwr Shaw (11 April 1951 – 10 May 2022) was a Welsh dual-code international

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

, and

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. He played representative level rugby union for

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, and at club level for Neath RFC, as a

prop A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct ...

and representative level rugby league for

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

and

, and at club level for

Widnes Widnes ( ) is an Industrial city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census had a population of 61,464. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it is on t ...

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...

Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...

and

Rochdale Hornets The Rochdale Hornets are a professional rugby league club from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England, competing in the Championship, the second tier of European rugby league. The Rochdale Hornets are one of the original twenty-two rugby clubs ...

, as a , or .

Background

Shaw was born in Rhigos, Wales.

Playing career

Rugby Union

Shaw started his career at seven sisters rfc in the Dulais valley at junior and youth level. Shaw fist appeared for

Neath Neath (; cy, Castell-nedd) is a market town and Community (Wales), community situated in the Neath Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a po ...

in 1970 and in 1972 he won his first caps for

in 1972 against New Zealand. A further 11 caps followed, in 1973 against England, Scotland, Ireland, France, and Australia, in 1974 against Scotland, Ireland, France, and England, and in 1977 against Ireland, and France. In 1972 he was a member of Neath squad that won the inaugural WRU Challenge Cup beating

Llanelli Llanelli ("St Elli's Parish"; ) is a market town and the largest community in Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is located on the Loughor estuary north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. ...

15–9.

Rugby League

Despite being appointed captain at Neath in 1977, Shaw changed codes and signed for

side

in November of the same year. He made his début for Widnes in a midweek evening match against New Hunslet at the Leeds Greyhound Stadium on Elland Road, Leeds, where he entertained the crowd even before taking to the pitch, by doing "one arm pressups" during his warm up. Almost immediately he was selected for the won caps for

Welsh national team ) , Association = Football Association of Wales (FAW) , Confederation = UEFA (Europe) , Coach = Rob Page , Captain = Gareth Bale , Most caps = Gareth Bale (111) , Top scorer = Gareth Bal ...

against France and Australia in 1978. Further caps for Wales followed in 1980 against France, and England, in 1981 against England, in 1982 against Australia, and in 1984 against England. In 1980 he was chosen to play for

against New Zealand. During his four seasons at Widnes, Shaw appeared in two

Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...

finals. The first in the 12–3 victory over

Wakefield Trinity Wakefield Trinity is a professional rugby league club in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, that plays in the Super League. One of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895, between 1999 and 2016 the c ...

in the

1978–79 Challenge Cup The 1978–79 Challenge Cup was the 78th staging of rugby league's oldest knockout competition, the Challenge Cup. Known as the State Express Challenge Cup due to sponsorship by State Express 555, the final was contested by Widnes and Wakefield Tr ...

Final at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

on Saturday 5 May 1979, and two years later he was an substitute in the 18-9 victory over Hull Kingston Rovers in the

1980–81 Challenge Cup The 1980–81 Challenge Cup was the 80th staging of rugby league's oldest knockout competition, the Challenge Cup. Known as the Three Fives Challenge Cup for sponsorship reasons, the final was contested by Widnes and Hull Kingston Rovers at Wembley ...

Final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 2 May 1981. Two County Cup final victories also appeared in Shaw's record: at right- in Widnes' 15-13 victory over

Workington Town Workington Town R.L.F.C. is a semi-professional rugby league club playing in Workington in west Cumbria. Their stadium is Derwent Park, which they share with Workington Comets, a speedway team. They became Rugby League Champions in 1951 and ...

in the

1978 Lancashire Cup Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

Final at

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...

on Saturday 7 October 1978, and played right- in the 11-0 victory over

in the

1979 Lancashire Cup Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

Final at The Willows, Salford on Saturday 8 December 1979. Three losing Player's Trophy finals also featured during his time at Widnes. Shaw played right- in Widnes' 4-9 defeat by

in the 1977–78 Players No.6 Trophy Final at

Knowsley Road Knowsley Road in Eccleston, St Helens, Merseyside, was the home ground of St. Helens from 1890 until its closure in 2010. St Helens Town FC played their home fixtures at Knowsley Road from 2002 until 2010. For a period, the venue also hosted ...

, St. Helens on Saturday 28 January 1978, played right- in the 16-4 victory over

in the 1978–79 John Player Trophy Final at Knowsley Road, on Saturday 28 April 1979, played right- in the 0-6 defeat by

Bradford Northern The Bradford Bulls are a professional rugby league club in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, playing in the Championship. They have won five Challenge Cups, six league championships and three World Club Challenges. The team jersey is predomi ...

in the

1979–80 John Player Trophy This was the ninth season for the League Cup, known as the John Player Trophy for sponsorship reasons. Bradford Northern won the trophy, beating Widnes 6–0 in the final. The match was played at Headingley, Leeds, West Yorkshire. The attendance w ...

Final at Headingley Rugby Stadium,

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

on Saturday 5 January 1980. In November 1981, Shaw left Widnes for

for a transfer fee of £25,000. The only major final he played for Wigan was at left- in

's 15-4 victory over

in the 1982–83 John Player Trophy Final at

Elland Road Elland Road is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the home of Premier League club Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the 14th largest football stadium in England. The g ...

on Saturday 22 January 1983. In November 1984 Shaw left Wigan for

for whom he played until November the following year. A transfer to

followed but after only eight appearances for the Hornets he retired early in 1986.

Personal life

Glyn Shaw had two children, a son and a daughter, by his first marriage to Linda plus two daughters by his second marriage to Janie. Shaw died, aged 71, on 10 May 2022.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, Glyn 1951 births 2022 deaths Dual-code rugby internationals Great Britain national rugby league team players Neath RFC players Rochdale Hornets players Rugby league players from Rhondda Cynon Taf Rugby league props Rugby league second-rows Rugby union players from Rhondda Cynon Taf Rugby union props Wales international rugby union players Wales national rugby league team players Warrington Wolves players Welsh rugby league players Welsh rugby union players Widnes Vikings players Wigan Warriors players