It is a great piece of sporting trivia: name the England rugby international who has played at Wembley but has never visited Twickenham, until now, in his life?
Brad Shields’s only previous Test caps both came in South Africa in June but exactly two years ago he could be found at the home of football, clad in the black and white hoops of the Barbarians as they drew 31-31 with the Springboks. Little did he guess, as a provincial player based in New Zealand, that he would one day face the same opponents in the white shirt of England. What a journey it has been for the 27-year-old.
The bearded Kiwi-raised flanker may resemble a member of ZZ Top but his story also has echoes of AC/DC: it is a long way to the top if you want to ruck and maul. As recently as last year he was turning out for the Hurricanes against the British & Irish Lions and nursing faint hopes of becoming an All Black. To suggest his life has been turned upside down is an understatement.
Quick guide
England v South Africa at Twickenham
England: Daly, Nowell, Slade, Te’o, May, Farrell, Youngs; Hepburn, Hartley, Sinckler, Itoje, Kruis, Shields, Curry, Wilson.
Replacements: George, Moon, Williams, Ewels, Mercer, Care, Ford, Ashton.
South Africa: Willemse, Nkosi, Kriel, De Allende, Dyantyi, Pollard, Van Zyl; Kitshoff, Marx, Malherbe, Etzebeth, PS du Toit, Kolisi, Vermeulen, Whiteley.
Replacements: Mbonambi, T du Toit, Louw, Snyman, De Jager, Papier, Jantjies, Esterhuizen.
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Kick-off: 3pm GMT
Forwards: Maro Itoje v Eben Etzebeth
Itoje and his second-row partner George Kruis offer the only experience in England’s pack. Itoje needs to reproduce his club form for England against Etzebeth, who seems revitalised after an injury-ravaged year.
Backs: Owen Farrell v Handré Pollard
As he finally gets a shot at 10, Farrell will be hoping for a first win as a fly-half against the Boks. Pollard (pictured) is a solid defender and tactical kicker and has been the first choice under Rassie Erasmus.
No one is more thrilled than his English-born parents, Nigel and Danielle, originally from Hull and Essex respectively, although Brad has encountered one or two culture shocks since arriving at Wasps this summer. There are not a whole heap of terraced houses in New Zealand and the concept of a washing machine in his kitchen – “I’m not used to washing the clothes next to where you do the dishes and cook the food” – has come as a surprise. There has been little sign, too, of the English silver teaspoons he recalls being proudly displayed on his grandmother’s wall, nor the chip butties his family used to enjoy on Sunday afternoons during his childhood years. “I’m still waiting for those chip butties but I’ve had a few bacon butties and baps so I’m there or thereabouts.”
Rather more pressing is the need to hit the ground running against a formidable South African back five who will make no allowances for the emotion that will flood through him when he experiences the anthems at Twickenham for the first time. “It will be one of those days where there is a lot of emotion going through. It is perfectly normal to have a bit of feeling because it means you care. Twickenham is the sort of stadium everyone wants to tick off their bucket list. There will definitely be ‘pinch me’ moments but it is how you channel that to bring the best out of yourself. By the time the first whistle comes it is just about doing your role and the best for the team.”
His years of service in Super Rugby, with its regular trips to South Africa, also mean he knows precisely what to expect from Saturday’s visitors. “It’s pretty obvious what they are going to bring. A massive thing for South Africans is their emotion and their brutality. They want to be the dominant forward pack. Even some of their big backs want to be that dominant force. If we can match or better that at the set-piece that will go a long way taking away some of their good play.”
Alongside back-row colleagues Tom Curry and Mark Wilson, it will inevitably fall to Shields to make endless tackles and to haul himself back up off the floor even when his body is screaming for mercy. Now that the former Hurricane has ticked Wembley off his bucket list, Twickenham fulfilment is his next goal.