1
Hurricanes recruit Brad Shields ‘open’ to captaincy in Ardie Savea’s absence
Before leaving New Zealand’s shores to pursue an opportunity with then-Eddie Jones-coached England, backrower Brad Shields was handed the captaincy duties at his beloved Hurricanes.
ADVERTISEMENT
During that season in 2018, the men from the capital charged into the Super Rugby semi-finals – but that’s where their journey ended. The Crusaders moved on with a commanding 30-12 win.
Shields went on to play club rugby for the London Wasps and Perpignan in France, as well as nine matches for England, during a headline-grabbing stint in the northern hemisphere.
But the England international is back. While the Super Rugby Pacific season is still about a month away, Shields is in the mix for the Canes ahead of the 2024 campaign.
After playing for the Wellington Lions in New Zealand’s National Provincial Championship last year, Shields is raring to go ahead of a return to Super Rugby action with the Wellington-based franchise.
Shields’ signing is an important one, too. There’s no Ardie Savea for the Hurricanes in 2024 – there’s no Dane Coles, either. Both All Blacks are plying their club rugby trade in Japan.
While both players can never truly be replaced, there is an opportunity for others to forge their own legacies with the Canes. A new captain will need to step up in Savea’s absence.
ADVERTISEMENT
Du’Plessis Kirifi and TJ Perenara would have to be in the mix for the honour, but so would Shields – and the England international would entertain the idea as the club continues to develop other leaders.
“I’d certainly be open to it,” Shields told RugbyPass. “It’s not something I’ve put too much thought into.
“Personally, my biggest responsibility coming into the team is just to be as fit and in the best nick as I can rugby-wise that I can be in for the team.
“It’s always tough coming from afar, obviously been in England for a few years – you’re not kind of sure where you sit with the different style of games.
ADVERTISEMENT
“My biggest thought processes have just been to come into pre-season, bring as much energy, as much knowledge, as much experience and just be the fittest version and the best version that I can possibly bring.
“When you talk about guys like Ardie and Colesy who aren’t in the environment anymore, it gives guys an opportunity to step into those shoes and you’ve almost got no choice but to look within the squad to see who you can develop as a leader. There are definitely a few guys in that space who are doing really, really well.
“We’ve come such a long way in the last few years… but most importantly, those guys like Ardie and Colesy, they leave a big hole. They led by actions and there’s tonnes of really, really positive actions that I’ve seen throughout the pre-season.
“I’m just excited to get to the pre-season games and get to the first couple of rounds and just see where we can take this competition because I think we’re due another really, really good season and take it further than a quarter-final against the Brumbies.”
Savea, who captained the Hurricanes last year before going on to win World Rugby’s Player of the Year award in Paris, came painfully close to a match-winning score in the 2023 quarter-finals.
But the Brumbies held on at home and as they marched on to the semi-finals. The Hurricanes were left to rue what could’ve been.
While the squad looks a little bit different in 2024, the young nucleus of this team is exciting. There’s an abundance of potential within this talented group.
Head-to-Head
Last 4 Meetings
Wins
1
Draws
0
Wins
3
Average Points scored
22
39
First try wins
75%
Home team wins
75%
Shields believes the Canes are primed for a “really, really good season.” But with a new coach at the helm, too, the Hurricanes are only focusing on what they can control.
“We’ve got a real mindset of bringing the best out of our squad and the best out of our squad isn’t just the attacking flair that the Hurricanes are potentially used to,” Shields added.
“We’re looking at it from a whole picture. Obviously, success is measured by winning rugby games but we are going to lose games, potentially we’re going to win games, we’re going to win games comfortably hopefully, we’re going to lose games that are probably tight and they’re going to hurt more than any other games.
“The best way to grow is to go through a little bit of that adversity. We’ve looked back on last season and where we fell short.
“Success is winning games and success is winning a championship, but success for us at the moment is getting ourselves in the best possible nick to start Super Rugby and that’s with our connections with each other, the community, and obviously the physical rugby aspect (of) getting our gameplan bloody nailed down.”
Comments on RugbyPass
The Melbourne Rebels lineout is a complete disaster so not surprisingly a kiwi coach of the Wallabies hires the worst lineout coach in the country and a foreigner to boot. No surprises whatsoever here…….
3 Go to commentsThank your for wasting 2 minutes of my life Daniel. There is a useful message in there somewhere but your delivery sucks.
7 Go to commentsBen Smith, you are cry baby
214 Go to commentsSux that homophobia is still a thing though. I wonder how many players who could have become legends never kept playing rugby because they felt unwelcome.
7 Go to commentsCrazy he’s only 28, feel like he’s been around forever - don’t mind the move, safe pair of hands and creates depth in a thin position for ABs. Hopefully aides Kemara’s growth also without thrusting too much responsibility on him
1 Go to commentsMen should show strength and be mean, but they should be able to show emotion to those close yo them in certain times, birth of your child, death of family, proud moment. This article is stupid
7 Go to commentsWhat a weak article…absolute drivel and clickbait, well done. Will stick to rugby365 thanks
7 Go to commentsHonest, discipline, humility… Priceless.
2 Go to commentsSo many excuses. No mention of the SA number 2 being taken out illegally in the 2nd minute. That act of foul play had a massive impact on the SA game. Face it, NZ play pretty dirty very regularly, and it’s only since 2016 they’ve been held to higher officiating standards via stricter officiating and TMO reviews. They deserved to have a man down. Sorry. Fix the yellow and red cards and NZ will win more RWCs. Plus, there WAS a knock on invalidating the one try, so it was NOT a try. Period. Here’s a Kleenex…
214 Go to commentsOverheard conversation between NZ and SA rugby fans everywhere: We’re the greatest! No! we’re the greatest! We’re the greatest! No we’re the greatest! Ireland are arrogant! True but they beat you! We’re the greatest! No! we’re the greatest! Etc. etc, etc.
33 Go to commentsTypical crap Aussie weather
11 Go to comments“If they’d have beaten England, I still feel we would have been talking ‘is this the best team ever,’ ‘is this the best team that’s ever played in the Six Nations'” he said. “I still think they’re not quite that good. I actually don’t think they’re that good.” So Trimble is saying he doesn’t think this is the best 6N team of all time. He is silent on if it is the best Irish team of all time. Can’t disagree with him. Just another misrepresentative clickbait headline from the guys at RP.
33 Go to commentsWow, do we really still have to listen to all the excuses and “unfairness” of it all. Even blaming the bounce of an egg shaped ball for the loss. But the article is about context, so what about the Springboks having to play the other 5 teams in the top 6 and still beating a comparatively rested AB team on a very empty tank.
214 Go to comments“Teams would generally have three coaches below their head honcho; attack coach, defence coach, forwards coach” do they? I’m not sure what the NZ set up is tbh, but the other 4 sides top 5 sides all have very different structures to the one outlined in the article! As well as attack, defence, and forwards coaches, SA, Ireland, and France also have specialist scrum coaches. England have a specialist scrum coach too, but arguably don’t have a forwards coach, with that role taken on by Borthwick. SA also have a backs coach in addition to defence and attack, and Ireland and England have fitness coaches, with England also having two skills coaches.
3 Go to commentsWorst article I've read in a while. Trying to disguise a backhand slap as a compliment. The whole article is a bit weird and negative. I think South African men are emotional in general… think Clad le Clos’s father 2012 London Olympics.
7 Go to commentsIreland are going to win the world cup.
33 Go to commentsIt was the strangest result ever. Etzebeth should've been yellow card for his cynical retiring move and a penalty try. Birth second half tries by the Allblacks were fantastic and the TMO operating outside the law to rule out the first try was egregious. Yes, the boks got the win but it was through some bizarre officiating that allowed them to sneak home against 14 men that dominated them. The quieter Bok supporters know and acknowledge the Allblacks were the better and dominant side. Justifying the win because they beat a pre world cup Allblacks selection is silly.
214 Go to commentsA very English thing to do hey Courtney, blerrie kant
4 Go to commentsIt sounds like Andrew is trying to convince himself or has just lost all perspective. The team did look jaded for the last couple of games of the six nations but a few things were wrong there. Italy tackled their hearts out and made Ireland work hard for every try. Outsmarted by Scotland? Huh? Ireland got held up over the line about 4 times. Scotland did nothing on attack the whole game other than one breakaway near the end. A recharge and reset is needed which they hopefully will have had before the SA your.
33 Go to commentsIncluding SA and Argie teams was great for the quality of rugby, but middle of the night games and player travel/ jet lag make that unworkable. I think that SA in Europe and Argie building an American league with USA, Canada etc would be better long term. If Oz can't sustain Rebels then next cab off the rank should be a Japanese team. Keep regional comps to time zones, both club and test rugby. Then existing test windows for test tours plus RWC.
8 Go to comments