BRAD SHIELDS SAYS pledging his allegiance to England has put him in a “tricky situation” but the Hurricanes captain is determined to “gain some respect” by letting his rugby do the talking.
Eddie Jones this week named the New Zealand-born flanker in his squad for the Test series against South Africa next month.
New Zealand Rugby agreed to release Shields from his contract in order to achieve his ambition of playing at international level.
The 27-year-old back-row, who will join Wasps ahead of the 2018-19 Premiership season, is relishing the opportunity to show what he is capable of on the Test stage.
“I guess it’s a pretty tricky situation,” said Shields. “I think it’s how you play on the footy field that’s going to matter the most and you earn respect by playing well in the jersey.
“I’ve just got to put my hand up and my head down and go to work like I try to do every week for the Hurricanes, and hopefully I gain some respect that way.
“As a footy player you want to aim for the highest you can possibly get to. For me it wasn’t quite clicking in New Zealand, but there was another opportunity.
“I’m pretty happy with my decision and can’t wait to get stuck in.”
at 27 if he was good enough new zealand would have capped him by now.
@Paddy Kavanagh: think he is good enough but there’s massive depth in new Zealand. Must be pretty disappointing for home grown English players to see him jump the queue ahead of them all the same.
@Paddy Kavanagh: he was called up to the NZ squad for the autumn tour last year and declined the call up. People seemed to think he was only being called up to stop him declaring for England which was probably the truth.
@Paddy Kavanagh: he won a Super Rugby trophy with he Hurricanes and was later named captain. You have to be fairly good to make those breaks.
@Simon O’Hara: they’re professional rugby players, if they expect to get into the national team as of right ahead of somebody who is better than them they’re in the wrong business.
‘Kiwi born Shields’…em he’s just a Kiwi…this tries to suggest he has lived in England for a period of time or something…
@Frank Reilly: The myth of national blood. Funny how you get so annoyed by the lads who move to Ireland, integrate into their communities and make it their home but not by a lad who’s sole connection is his parents who left England 40 or 50 years ago playing before he even steps foot in the country
@Frank Reilly: you’ve just totally, utterly missed his point and then, inadvertently, proved it. Well done, sir.
@Frank Reilly: It’s not the same thing at all. And that’s why Irish fans were critical of Micheal Bent getting called up for Ireland and why most of them have no issue with Aki, Stander and the likes who moved here and made Ireland their home.
@Frank Reilly: the admirable community integration happens all the time in real life, Irish people are integrated into communities across the world every day, and it has been the case for a long time. Countries and nationalities are not necessary or naturally occurring.
@Frank Reilly: Would community integration happen if rugby was still amateur? Yes it would because that’s what most immigrants do when they move to a new country. And if we’re talking just rugby specifically then go to lots of rugby clubs across the country and you’ll find foreign born players. For instance the Irish Clubs team (all amateurs) had a guy call Paul Tolofua from Naas rugby club playing for them this year. Landsowne have a player called Ntinga Mpiko, Shannon have a player called Ty Chan and I’m sure there are countless more examples. Lots of people move countries for work, security and countless other reasons. Just because Stander moved here to play professional rugby doesn’t make him any different to any other immigrant and should be treated the same
International rugby is losing it’s meaning. We might as well focus on the clubs, cause that’s all the national teams are becoming. Aki Stander Strauss etc all came over with the intention of playing internationally. If Ireland didn’t sign them someone else in Europe would have and they’d have integrated there instead. The whole point of national players is to develop them yourselves, not transfer them in from elsewhere, simply because you’ve more money than their own nation. Shields btw, isn’t as bad as Stander or Aki, because Shields wouldn’t be an all black. Aki would have and Stander would have been a bok. Oh and don’t give me the nonsense about Meyer not liking Stander, OSullivan didn’t like Heaslip either, but he still went on to play for Ireland.
@Eddie Hekenui: well said pal..
@Rudiger McMonihan: international rugby has no intrinsic meaning anyway, it’s a construct. I am happier to call Aki, Stander and (in particular) Necewa fellow countrymen than I am for most people who comment on Journal articles.
@Rudiger McMonihan: I have to totally disagree with you on the idea that international rugby is losing it’s meaning. Back in the day we’d a host of guys in the team who only ever came to Ireland for Internationals and training. Yes they’d Irish “blood” but that was about the extent of their connection. Then you’d guys who’d play a few games for one country then switched to another, the kilted Kiwi’s, the lads with fake Grannies and so on. The system is better now than it’s ever been.
As for Shields not never being an All Black he turned down a call up last November so he got a whole lot closer to being an All Black than Stander ever did get to being a Springbok.
For me the national sporting teams should be reflective of the countries makeup not a false reflection of nationality. Ireland is a nation with lots of immigrants and emmigrants and the national side reflects that. We’ve got lads who are Irish through and through, lads born overseas to Irish families like Marmion and Dillane, lads born to immigrants like Zebo and Van der Flier and lads who moved here to make a better life for themselves and their families like Stander, Aki etc.
@Frank Reilly: Yea there’s people who don’t like it but they’re in the minority
@Eddie Hekenui: it should also also be said, whatever about 3 or 5 years, once you commit you’ve committed for the rest of your career. That’s huge.
@Conor Paddington: Agreed. And that playing for Ireland or any other country isn’t guaranteed. Plenty of players have moved as “project players” and got nowhere near the international teams. The lads who do are generally those that fully invest themselves in their club and the country