ACT Brumbies lock Lachlan Shaw is eyeing off a 'dream' Wallabies debut, but knows his focus must stay on the task at hand: attempting to break a 30-year finals drought in New Zealand.
Shaw has been one of the standouts for the Brumbies in a rollercoaster that has them travelling to Wellington to face the top-ranked side on Friday.
Watch every second of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season live and on demand via Stan Sport.
It has seen the 23-year-old leap into contention as a potential Wallabies bolter ahead of July's Nations Championship.
Regular starter Will Skelton is out for the rest of the year with an Achilles injury, while Shaw has regularly kept out Nick Frost from the starting team.
Shaw has started 12 games for the Brumbies in 2026, double the amount he started in his first two years at the club.
“Honestly, it would be a massive dream come true. I've aspired to be a Wallaby forever since I started playing rugby when I was little," he told Rugby.com.au on his Wallabies ambitions.
“It would be an awesome achievement to be able to be named in that squad and have that exposure and have that chance to be a part of that program. It's been something in the back of my mind for ages, but I'm more focused on the next three weeks leading forward, depending on how the results go.”.
No Australian team has won a finals game in New Zealand, with Shaw and the Brumbies defeated by the Chiefs last year, taking the record to 0-21.
The lock is drawing off past success against the Hurricanes at home, coming off the bench in last year's victory in the qualifying finals.
The Brumbies have also proven they can win in New Zealand, upsetting the Crusaders in Christchurch.
“I can't really remember too much from that game [last year] but I remember that the way they play is very structured. They have electric outside backs and dominant forwards through set piece, scrum, maul, lineout so it's going to be a challenge in terms of all areas around the park," he said.
...“I think it definitely gives us the confidence knowing that we can do it and we have the ability to do it. Nothing's really changed for us, it's just a matter of showing up on the day and putting our best foot forward. Hopefully, all the stars align in that sense, and we have a good prep this week.”
The Brisbane Boys College product is very familiar with the opposition, having previously played for NPC side Manawatu, two hours up the road from Wellington.
Shaw made the trip over after his debut Super Rugby game in 2024, playing alongside future opposition Brayden Iose, Brett Cameron and Jordi Vijoen.
He would go on to win the club's Rookie of the Year after featuring in every game, catching up with his former teammates at Super Round before their first match-up in Christchurch.
“It was up there with one of the best decisions I ever made," he believes.
“In terms of my development, having that opportunity to go over there and play, it's a level up on club rugby and even though it was a shorter season, playing rugby throughout the whole year was a massive stepping stone in terms of my personal development leading into 2025, it was great. I loved every minute of it.
“Previous to that, I hadn't really played much rugby at all to be honest, so [the Brumbies] threw it out there and they organised it all to be honest. It was a really quick turnaround within two weeks and I was straight over there, had one week of pre-season and played every single game over there.
"Even though it wasn't the result we wanted, just playing against those New Zealand teams made a huge difference in my growth and development.”
