England and Wasps flanker Brad Shields could be leaving Wasps following the Gallagher Premiership final next weekend, according to reports.
Reports in New Zealand suggest he could return to the Southern Hemisphere, where the 29-year-old would rejoin the Hurricanes.
The influential back-rower made his Super Rugby debut for the Wellington-based franchise in 2012 reached the 100-game mark at the end of the 2017 campaign.
During his time at the Westpac Stadium, Shields played a prominent role in the Hurricanes’ 2016 Championship-winning season and a year later skippered the side against the touring British & Irish Lions.
Having made his provincial debut as a 19-year-old, Shields has also regularly represented Wellington in New Zealand’s domestic competitions and was their Player of the Season in 2016.
Shields was part of the New Zealand Under 20s side that retained the Junior IRB World Championship title in 2011, and was often spoken of as a future All Black.
However, in late 2017 he opted to switch to the Premiership with Wasps, and utilising his English nationality was immediately selected by Eddie Jones for the 2018 summer tour of South Africa where he won his first international caps.
Shields was a consistent performer in England’s 2019 Six Nations campaign, scoring two tries in a win over Italy and was expected to be involved in their 2019 Rugby World Cup squad until an unfortunate injury in the summer saw him miss out.
Despite injury and also missing out through international commitments, Shields made 15 appearances in his first season for Wasps, while he has also skippered the side on occasions.
RANKED | The 10 highest paid people in rugby union, 2020
Keep reading to see the top 10 highest-paid people in rugby union, ranked in ascending order of earnings.
9=. ANDY FARRELL £600k (Ireland)
The first of two Farrell’s on this list, Andy received a significant pay boost when he took over from Joe Schmidt following the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
9=. DAN BIGGAR £600k (Northampton Saints)
The Welsh pivot has made the most of his big-money move from Ospreys to Northampton Saints, where he has shone consistently since joining in 2018.
8. STEVE LUATUA £650k (Bristol Bears)
Didn’t make any friends within the All Blacks hierarchy when he decided to cash in on his extreme rugby talent, signing for Bristol in 2017. Has since signed a two-year contract extension. The All Blacks aren’t allowed by the New Zealand Rugby Union to pick exiles.
