Shirley Russell (rugby union)

Shirley Russell

Date of birth	(1967-12-31) 31 December 1967 (age 57)
Place of birth	Auckland, New Zealand
School	Inglewood High School, NZ
Rugby union career
Position(s) Flanker International career Years Team Apps (Points) 1995–1998 Australia 5 (0)

Shirley Russell (born 31 December 1967) is a former Australian rugby union player.

Rugby career

Playing career

Russell made her test debut for Australia in 1995 against New Zealand in Auckland.[1]

She was a flanker in the 1998 Wallaroos side that made their Rugby World Cup debut in the Netherlands.[2][3] She played her final test against Spain at the tournament in Amsterdam.[1] She won the first-ever Australian Women’s Player of the Year award.[3] She was also part of the first Queensland women’s XV's team.[3]

Coaching

Russell was an assistant for the Wallaroos at the 2006 Rugby World Cup in Canada.[3] She was also involved with Australia women's sevens team that won the inaugural 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament in Dubai.[3]

Russell continues to give back to rugby with her coaching, under the banner of the Classic Wallabies and Classic Wallaroos.[2] She is also a Vintage Reds board member.[2]

References

1. "Shirley Russell". classicwallabies.com.au. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
2. Tucker, Jim (4 April 2022). "Rugby World Cup trailblazers celebrate 2029 call as a game-changer for women". www.rugby.com.au. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
3. Gilmore, Chris (22 December 2021). "Sunshine Coast Rugby Union - Giving back to the game". SCM. Retrieved 10 January 2023.