| Date of birth | 31 December 1967 | ||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Auckland, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||
| School | Inglewood High School, NZ | ||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||
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Shirley Russell AM (born 31 December 1967) is a former Australian rugby union player.
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]
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]
Russell was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2025 King's Birthday Honours for "significant service to rugby union as a player, coach and volunteer". [4]