Shaw's England Template.

Simon Shaw, pretty much the first name down on the England team sheet these days despite his venerable age, has revealed the truth behind the desperate series of performances produced by his national team during the autumn internationals, and in doing so he has pulled no punches.

In an exclusive interview the 36-year-old Wasps lock forward, who plans to be not only a part of England’s Six Nations campaign starting next month, but also the 2011 World Cup, has rubbished the excuses used to explain England’s sterile displays such as injured players and the strength of the opposition, and instead exposed a mentality that is controlled by a massive fear factor that has paralysed not only the players, but also the management.

“There were a lot of issues surrounding injuries but in the Premiership we have so many quality players and those picked to play in the autumn were the form players of the season,” Shaw argues. “The bottom line is that the rest of the world is envious of the numbers we can pick from.

“The players have a responsibility to not just go out and do what they’re told by the coaches. They need to believe in themselves because they got picked to play for England on the basis of what they’ve been doing for their clubs and they’re supposed to do exactly that for England.

“The problem is the players don’t feel they can necessarily express themselves. I’ve done this myself in the past. Their mindset is that they may have only a couple of games before the injured first-choice player returns, or that after so many losses they don’t want to give the coaches an excuse to drop them.

“If they do exactly what they’re told to do and then they’re dropped they at least have the right to come back and argue their case. That’s not going to get you very far in rugby, though. I learnt that a long time ago that trying to do something you’re not very good at is not a very good idea and that it’s much better to do what you’re God-given talent can offer.”

So distraught were the England players following their lack-lustre performances in losing to Australia and then beating Argentina in a desperately poor spectacle that provoked jeers from around the Twickenham stadium that they went to air their issues with the England management led by Martin Johnson.

“The players expressed at a management board meeting that we need to go out and play in the way we’re used to and the management have taken it all on board,” Shaw reveals.

“Every match has become a must-win game because of our run of results and the added pressure as a result impacts on the players who don’t want to be the one who, for example, takes a quick tap penalty, gets turned over and concedes the try that loses the game.

“They need to know that if an individual takes a chance he has the backing of both the players and the management. Right now everyone’s on edge, too worried about getting the win, and not about the process.”

England begin their Six Nations campaign against Wales at Twickenham on February 6^th, just five weeks away, and Shaw insists the mentality has to change dramatically if they stand any chance of claiming a title they last won in their World Cup-winning year of 2003.

“Putting everything into just winning the game was, in hindsight, probably not the right way to go about it,” he explained. “It’s strangling both the management and the players. What should happen now is that the management says: “Sorry, this is our aim for the next few games. We’re going to be looking at different ideas, different styles and new combinations and not worry about the result. Clearly putting everything into the win is not working, so let’s concern ourselves about the process and by getting that right the wins will come.”

The man who has played more games and more minutes than any other player in the history of the Premiership also wants some self-esteem to return to the ranks. “It was noticeable how, when the boys came into the half-time dressing room against New Zealand and realised that we were still in the game, just how surprised everyone was. That was the overriding emotion, not a confidence that we would then go on and win the game. We need to find an attitude that says we can take on the best teams in the world”

Shaw’s all-consuming verdict is an extraordinary insight into the current England team mentality, and the first time that any player has gone further, much further, than simply stating that the autumn test matches were below standard.

But when you have 52 caps to your name spread over a stop-start, 15-year international career, a cupboard full of European and domestic club honours, and the rather late-in-the-day position of being named by one recent survey as the best player in world rugby, Shaw no doubt feels he has little to lose and a lot to gain by providing what he sees as constructive comments aimed at helping an England team he very much wants to be a part of.

“I think that’s been my downfall in the past,” says the man who finally took his British Lions chance after three previous tours by being named the man of the match after a barnstorming display against South Africa in the losing 2^nd test in Pretoria.

“The truth is that when I won my first England cap in South Africa back in 1994 I thought at the time that I’d be a part of the England team for the next 15 years.

“If you’d told me back then that I’d still be playing for my country in 2009 I wouldn’t have batted an eyelid. I thought I’d end up winning more caps than Jason Leonard and, if I’d taken my chances, not been dropped or had others not been preferred to me, I might have had 150 caps by now.

“But I didn’t show my ambition to the coaches or to the public. People’s perception of me is that I’m massively laid back and that I can’t really be bothered or care. I am laid back, but I care deeply about Wasps and England and my downfall is that I’ve never expressed myself vocally.

“Don’t forget, I’ve been a part of a Wasps team that had the likes of Lawrence Dallaglio and Josh Lewsey in it who were always making the headlines. I was happy just to get on with my job. I’ve always felt performance should be enough but I guess this hasn’t been the case with some people.”

This changed in 2007 when Shaw set his sights on the World Cup. “That’s when I adopted a different mindset and became determined to not only make the World Cup but play consistently well throughout the tournament. It proved to me what you can do when you put your mind to it and that’s why I followed it up with what happened with the Lions. This season it’s about proving that the last two years have been no accident.”

And then? Shaw may be 36, and he may manage his training accordingly with club and country, but his current contract with Wasps ends in May, 2011, by which stage he will be close to 38 years of age.

“We’ll have to wait and see,” he says. “But if I can maintain my desire for the game, if my body doesn’t let me down and if the England management still want me to play for them, then I’d love another crack at the World Cup.”

In the meantime he has the small matter of helping his beloved Wasps win some silverware this season after a barren spell last year. “The talent we have at the club, especially in the backs, is as good as I’ve ever seen here,” he adds. “The new signings in all areas has added fresh impetus and those who were around last season are clearly determined to do better this time.”