1
England flanker Brad Shields cops it on social media after pear-shaped offload attempt
By Online Editors
Ex-Hurricanes and new England flanker Brad Shields has copped the wrath of English fans for attempting an offload that went pear-shaped, slipping from his grasp and flying metres forward into the in-goal.
Shields' mistake came as he broke away down the right sideline as England searched for a go-ahead score, trailing 11-9 with less than 10 minutes remaining.
Luckily for Shields, England won a penalty from the ensuing scrum that Owen Farrell kicked to re-take the lead 12-11, which was the final score of the match.
Shields - picked over a number of local prospects - start to his international career hasn't been up to the level expected of an England recruit according to many fans.
Shields had a mixed performance against South Africa, winning two turnovers and making 10 tackles, but he also conceding a penalty and making the crucial offloading mistake, which the commentatory team labeled 'awful'.
"Brad Shields has to keep hold of this ball," they said.
"Step infield, control it, not the moment to throw that speculative pass. That's awful."
If retained in the starting lineup next week, Brad Shields will face off against the All Blacks for the first time with a point to prove.
England fans will be hoping he at least shelves the offload for the occasion.
In other news:
Trending on RugbyPass
2
RFU statement: Maro Itoje cited for yellow-carded tackle
3
Ox Nche: 'The best feeling is squeezing a prop so hard he passes out'
4
Dragons sign 102kg Stormers centre on immediate deal
5
Latest Comments
I’d say France was far more hard done by in the 2011 final than the All Blacks in this game. Joubert simply refused to call a penalty against the All Blacks in the last quarter even directing an All Black to drop a ball he picked up in an offside position rather than penalizing him. This article also totally discounts the efforts of PSTD. Ask Jordie how well he played. Or the backup flank who played hooker for the entire game. Siya was also a brilliant tackle by Richie from scoring a blinder. Pollard was also fantastic. Look I don’t like the boks style but the only thing more questionable than the content of this article is the timing of it. Get over it already
Go to commentsDad Marty was also a handy rugby player for Linwood back in the day. Great bloke. Sensational softball career.
Go to comments