Brad’s fighting the sound of silence
BRAD Shields knows he faces a battle to restate his England credentials after admitting he has had no contact from the Red Rose coaching staff during lockdown.
While vast swathes of England hopefuls have been involved in various zoom meetings since the Six Nations, Shields’ phone has remained silent and the 29-year-old Wasps back row goes into today’s clash at Northampton knowing his Test future is on the line.
Asked if England had been in touch over the summer, Shields told The Rugby Paper: “Not me, mate. I’ve just been cracking on with Wasps and just trying to get myself in the best possible shape, so I try not to let that sort of stuff take up too much of my headspace.
“My goal is to put it out on the field and try to get noticed for my rugby ability, so hopefully that (England) will take care of itself.”
Wasps lost a thrilling home encounter with Northampton 35-31 in January and Shields expects more fireworks at Franklin’s Gardens today against a side being guided by his wily old ex-boss at the Hurricanes, Chris Boyd.
Shields said: “Knowing Boydy he’ll probably have a couple of tricks in the bag and some surprise plays they’ll throw at us. There’s an understanding of the way Saints are going to play in terms of moving the ball quickly and in this sort of weather, with fast tracks, we’re going to have to watch out for it defensively. But I also think they’re turning into quite a physical pack, so up front we’ve definitely got to be ready for the variety of things they might throw at us.”
With a top four place at stake between two sides gunning for the play-offs, Shields added: “You want to play the good sides early to see where you’re at. We believe Northampton are a great team with an excellent coaching set-up, so we need to get stuck in from the get-go or we’ll fall behind early in this block of games. We need to jump in and smash it, so hopefully most of the boys are on that page today.”
With back row stalwarts Nizaam Carr and Ashley Johnson gone, Shields has a burden of back row responsibility to carry alongside young gun Jack Willis, right.
It’s a task he relishes, saying: “Nizaam and Ashley leave massive holes to fill and they’re a couple of quality blokes who bring something different to the game of rugby, but there’s so much talent coming through and competition is healthy.
“If you take a backwards step and don’t perform, there’s someone else right there ready to fill your boots and it’s about playing your best every single week if you want to keep the jersey.
“Like everyone, I want to play my part in making this team better.”
As for Willis’ future, Shield adds: “We’re extremely lucky to have someone like that in our team and the energy he brings.
“He’s pretty young but the confidence and aggression he brings and his excellence at the breakdown, to know we’ve got Thomas Young in there as well and have two guys who can change a game like them, it’s powerful.
“When you’re under the pump and have got guys like that, you know you’ve got a chance.”
