Shields has a pretty straightforward plan to 'earn respect' after England call-up

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."

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On Thursday New Zealand Rugby have made the decision to release Hurricanes loose forward Brad Shields for England’s Test series against South Africa next month.

“New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has decided it will, by special exception, release Hurricanes loose forward Brad Shields from the obligations of his contract, to be available for selection for England next month,” an official statement reads.

“New Zealand Rugby Head of Professional Rugby Chris Lendrum said while NZR believed there were clear legal grounds to decline a release request made by Shields’ agent and the RFU, NZR considered the exceptional circumstances in this case.”

“Our contract agreement requires Brad to be available for only New Zealand teams until the end of his term, which expires at the end of this year’s Investec Super Rugby season,” Lendrum said in a statement.

“Having said that, Brad has been an exceptional leader inside the Hurricanes environment and a loyal servant to New Zealand Rugby.

“We have taken some time to carefully work through the complexities of this request, to ensure that we gave appropriate consideration to his specific circumstances. In the end, we are happy with the terms of his temporary release.

“We are extremely disappointed that the RFU chose to take this unusual step in seeking this release given that Brad has not yet played rugby in England.

“We are releasing Brad with our best wishes, and we hope to see him achieve his goal of playing international rugby in June.”

Brad Shields said: “I’m really appreciative that New Zealand Rugby has considered my request. I know it’s been a complex matter for them but I’m hugely grateful for their support on this.”