Brad Shields: 'These boys are stronger than ever, they're faster than ever'

Rugby’s athletes continue to reach new heights, says ex-England international and current Hurricanes loose forward Brad Shields.

Shields entered Super Rugby in 2012 when the Hurricanes boasted athletes like Dane Coles, Victor Vito, Julian Savea and a young Beauden Barrett, all of whom inflicted their will at the Test level. Shields himself played on the international stage nine times with England, debuting in 2018 alongside the Vunipola brothers and speedsters Elliot Daly and Jonny May.

But he says the level of athleticism in the Super Rugby-leading 2026 Hurricanes team is beyond that of any previous generation, with rugby constantly finding new ways to evolve.

“If you take our team — and this is no disrespect to guys who I’ve played with, I’ve played with some absolute athletes — but if I take someone like a Xavier Numia or Pasilio Tosi, these boys are stronger than ever, they’re faster than ever,” Shields said in an interview with Martin Devlin on the DSPN.

“They’re not just there to scrum; they can get around the pitch, they’re running under 5:15 broncos. I think Fletcher Newell of the Crusaders ran a 4:45 or 4:50, or something like that. When I first started running the bronco, the target for everyone was five minutes.

“Guys with technology and work ethic and being willing to go the extra mile are just taking our game to a whole new level.

“Manipulation of the rules this year has obviously helped with the open, running rugby. There’s obviously a little way to go with that sort of stuff, but you can see that you have to adapt; otherwise you get left behind.”

Tosi, who stands at 193 cm and 140 kg, famously shifted from No.8 to prop when he was 22 years old and already in the picture for Southland in the NPC. The 16-cap All Black says he can bench press 200 kg and squat 290 kg, and has a reported bronco time between 5:15 and 5:20.

The quality of athlete New Zealand produces in rugby is rarely questioned, but how well they are being prepared for the international game has come under the spotlight in recent years.

In a golden era between 2010 and 2016, the All Blacks were winning at a rate that hovered around the 90 per cent mark and claimed two Rugby World Cups, but in the decade since, that figure has dropped to around 72 per cent with bronze and silver medals to show for the last two World Cup showings.

Shields weighed in on whether Super Rugby is preparing players well enough for the challenges of the Test arena.

“I think, in a nutshell, probably yes,” he said. “The rugby doesn’t get easier because you’re just playing New Zealand teams or Australian teams. Every team has their strengths.

“I do think there’s been a slight shift at the next level without having the South Africans in the competition. You’re playing teams that have three 6’8 players, 130-odd kilos. It’s a different style of game, whether it’s more set-piece orientated or whether it’s just the travel and experience of going to South Africa…

“Up north, you’ve got the battle of the weather, you’ve got to change your style of play… So yes, there is something missing, but I still think, with the competition, we can still get enough out of it to prepare those international boys to compete.

“Something like the South African tour that’s coming up is probably perfect timing leading into the World Cup, because the boys are going to get a bit of a taste of it and understand what it is going to take to beat those teams at home, which would hopefully, in turn, give them the confidence to beat them on a World Cup stage.”