Brad Shields - taking it as it comes

Above: Brad Shields on the charge last year for Petone against Rimutaka. Photo courtesy of Chris Clifton.

Brad Shields looks right at home in the Hurricanes’ formidable loose forward trio. Club Rugby caught up with him to see how he’s enjoying life as a Hurricane and look back over how far he’s already come in his young career.

Shields’ rugby career blossomed from an early age as a junior at the Stokes Valley Rugby Club. He fondly remembers pulling on the red and gold hoops and puts a lot of his success down to his early days with the club.

“Stokes Valley definitely taught me values such as teamwork, showing up on time and working hard. It was my first club and they really set me up for college and professional rugby”.

The towering loosie spent his college days at Taita College where he was a standout performer and clearly destined for big things. He was quick to point out that one of his greatest rugby memories came from those days with the Taita College 1st XV.

“We won division 4 and although that isn’t a high grade for a small school it was a huge achievement for us and we fought hard all year. The group of guys we had all got on really well and to get some sort of trophy with Taita is something I’ll never forget”.

For a player like Shields to reach the dizzy heights of Super Rugby without a lot of exposure with a small school shows the hard-working character of the man, humble, modest and wouldn’t change it for the world.

After his college days the 21 year-old made the transition to traditional Jubilee Cup powerhouse Petone. This gave him the exposure in the top grade that his skill desired. Not long after, Shields was selected in the NZ U20 squad for the World Cup in Italy which saw him take home the crown along with his teammates.

Shields relishes every opportunity he gets to play club rugby with Petone in both Swindale Shield and Jubilee Cup competitions when he can. With a busy professional schedule with the? Wellington Lions and Hurricanes this limits the opportunity to play in the local competition.

“Whenever we get the opportunity it is always good. Even if I can get on for 20-30 minutes I love it. It’s great to go back and help out where you can”.

Asked on who his role models growing up were and who he credits his early success to an immediate answer was received without hesitation.

“My parents. Through hard times, taxi driving, paying for everything and taking me places I needed to be and they’ve definitely made me who I am today.

“They encouraged me to play sport and do what I wanted to do so without them I wouldn’t be here today”

“I was always motivated with sport but they gave me that extra push I needed”.

He puts his rapid rise down to the obvious: “hard work, training and it prevails when you get on the field” , a simple but effective message for all aspects of life.

The versatile forward is clearly humbled and grateful for his opportunity to represent the Hurricanes on a consistent basis having now earned 15 caps.

“It’s a huge honour and something I dreamed about when I was younger. I do pinch myself sometimes but you have to move on quickly and realise that you’ve been picked because you are good enough so you just have to show it”.

The Hurricanes have had a peculiar start to their 2013 campaign having dominated for large periods of their first two games against both the Blues and Reds respectively.

“We are trying to score off every phase so we just need to settle it down. We are 80 percent there but we just need that last pass, and build those phases with our physicality”, which is where his main asset lies.

He insists the team is still very confident despite coming up against a talented Crusaders team coming off the back of a heavy loss to the Blues in their season opener last Friday.

I had to ask the young Hurricane about his future goals, as obvious as they may be. The All Blacks ambition is always in the back of his mind but insists he is taking things slow. His mind is solely on the job at hand.

“I’m just taking each week as it comes which means doing our homework on the opposites and working on my game. This week is certainly going to be another tough match”.

Shields is set to play blindside flanker this Friday night in Wellington and his skills and physicality will be put to the test by Kieran Read, Matt Todd and George Whitelock.

Brad Shields is certainly a bright light in New Zealand Rugby and is sure to go on to great things in his career which is only at its early stages.

For now Shields is “taking each week as it comes”. That seems to be doing the trick.

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