Shields can let his guard down
BRAD Shields trained with his new England teammates for the first time yesterday in Durban. The arrangement does not feel quite right and if some of them were a little stand-offish with him it would have been understandable given the New Zealander with the English parents has been fast-tracked in without playing any Premiership rugby. Fortunately for Shields, the player with the most reason to cold shoulder the Hurricanes captain’s arrival — the man whose jersey he is being sized up for — happens to be Chris Robshaw.
Robshaw, at 32 five years Shields’ senior, is one of the most team-centric individuals around.
So Robshaw was the first man helping the player who could end his Test career get up to speed with lineout calls and all the rest.
“You want to be in that starting 15 but you want to help each other get better, and if we help each other get better then we will be a better squad,” said Robshaw. “We are getting to know him a bit. He has been a good guy to have around and is hungry to learn and get involved.
“He carried hard, got his body in the way. His lineouts and scrums were good. He has fitted in well.
“It is always exciting when new guys come into camp because they bring in new ideas — they might do a breakdown drill completely different to anything you have seen before. That is why it is great to work with different coaches and players because you get a more rounded game.”
Robshaw, despite a shaky game against the Barbarians, is likely to retain the No6 shirt for Saturday’s opening Test against South Africa with Shields having only just arrived, but after that all bets are off. Eddie Jones clearly thinks highly of the bearded back row, having parachuted him in for the series during the Super Rugby REPORTS season and Shields’ job now is to win over his new team-mates.
He will try to do so with actions rather than words judging by his brief personal introduction to the squad on Monday night.
“We all know where he is from so he just spoke about looking forward to getting stuck in, really. He’s a man of few words and the players respect that,” said England scrum coach Neal Hatley.
England have a doubt over Joe Launchbury for Ellis Park after Shields’ future club-mate sat out training with a calf injury yesterday. Sam Simmonds also played a limited role.
The potential loss of Launchbury, coming on top of the absence of Courtney Lawes, George Kruis and Charlie Ewels for the tour, leaves England with a problem in the second row.
If he does not recover, they will have the choice of promoting 20-yearold Saracen Nick Isiekwe to partner Maro Itoje or handing a debut to Exeter’s Jonny Hill.
While the Boks are preparing at altitude in Johannesburg, England have chosen to base themselves at sea level in Durban. It makes for a prettier backdrop for training but it is an approach Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus questioned.
“I am surprised that when they could have had the benefit of staying here for a week, they have stayed in Durban,” said Erasmus.
“It’s going to be interesting. Maybe they’ve got other plans of how to tackle the altitude, but normally it catches up with you.”
Erasmus has his own secondrow issues with Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager ruled out and will not deploy Montpellier duo Bismarck du Plessis and Frans Steyn, who played in the Top 14 final on Saturday.
He’s a man of few words, and players respect that