Feeling left out: England’s Simon Shaw recalls nightmare of injury before Rugby World Cup

The focus of much of the HKRU's Giants of Rugby charity dinner was always going to be about the kick-off of the Rugby World Cup. 

But a sit-down before the evening with three of its stars – Simon Shaw, David Giffin and Ali Williams – also saw attention drawn first to what a player goes through when he pictures the dream of playing on the sport's ultimate stage, only to have it cruelly plucked away.

Such has been the case last week with Wales star fullback and goal-kicker Leigh Halfpenny, left "devastated" and now sidelined after tearing the cruciate ligament in his right knee during their 23-19 win over Italy at Millennium Stadium last Sunday.

Halfpenny tried to change direction in an instant and his knee simply gave way, bringing a frightening grimace to his face, and groans from the mouths of all those watching at the ground and around the world. It's a player's worst nightmare, and something Shaw knows only too well from his storied and sometimes injury-troubled playing days with England.

"A week out for him to sustain an injury like that, it's tragic," said Shaw, who was withdrawn on the eve of England's 1995 World Cup with a ruptured knee ligament.

"I've been in exactly the same situation as him and I can tell you it's the worst thing. It's a contact sport though and it could have happened in the first five minutes of their first game. Most teams go into that last game with their strongest outfit they will take into the World Cup so it is just one of those things."

What makes matters worse – as Halfpenny is no doubt finding out now as he begins the agonising process of treatment and recovery – is that the injury means you are also no longer required, or even wanted, as part of the set-up.

Shaw would go on to be part of the England squad in 2003 (he never took to the field during his nation's World Cup-winning run but still holds an RWC winner's medal), again in 2007 when they lost the final to South Africa, and finally in 2011 in New Zealand. But he still feels the pain of that first miss.

"We were actually sponsored by Courage the [beer] brewers at the time so there was a lot of that drunk to get me through, to drown my sorrows," said the 42-year-old. "It's pretty depressing. [Halfpenny] will be sent away and given the best treatment, but he won't take any role in the set-up anymore and he'll have to deal with that too.