Paul Gustard defends Brad Shields' England selection for South Africa tour
Wednesday 6 June 2018 14:59, UK
Paul Gustard has defended England's decision to select New Zealand-born Brad Shields for their three-Test series against South Africa.
Shields, who will play for Wasps in 2018/19 after six years in Wellington with Hurricanes, qualifies to play for England through his parents.
That move has caused anger in some quarters, with World Rugby vice chairman Agustin Pichot saying Shields' decision to represent England rather than the All Blacks will mean the "game is losing something",
But Gustard was keen to stress they have done nothing wrong in selecting flanker Shields, who is now an English Qualified Player (EQP).
"We are just abiding by World Rugby law," he told Sky Sports News ahead of Saturday's first Test in Johannesburg, live on Sky Sports.
"He is EQP, he is eligible to play for England and we are delighted to have a quality player like him available.
"Martin Johnson played for New Zealand Colts - things sometimes happen - but the important thing is he is EQP, we are not doing anything illegal, so we are looking forward to having him in the squad.
"He is obviously a very good player, has settled into the group really well, is keen to learn and very coachable and we are looking forward to working with him."
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Despite Shields having had just six days to settle into the squad and acquaint himself with his new team-mates, Gustard is convinced he is experienced enough to hit the ground running.
"He has played a lot of high-level rugby with the Hurricanes over the last six or seven years," added Gustard.
"He is a quality player and we are going to make some judgements on that in our selection meeting."
