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Rushing Brad Shields straight into the England setup sends a bad message, says Sir Clive Woodward.

Former World Cup-winning England rugby coach Sir Clive Woodward has urged Eddie Jones to resist plucking New Zealander Brad Shields straight out of Super Rugby for June's tour of South Africa.

Writing in his column in The Daily Mail, Woodward said Shields' widely tipped selection for England's upcoming three-test tour of the republic would set a bad precedent and also sent the wrong type of messages to those in the English rugby system.

The Hurricanes skipper and loose forward, who heads to England to play for Wasps after this Super Rugby season, has sought a release from New Zealand Rugby for the tour which falls in the international window.  

Woodward said he would prefer to see an England-groomed player selected for the tour, and felt by rushing Shields in to the squad with such unholy haste it would hand the All Blacks a "psychological advantage".

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"England reportedly want to pluck Shields out of the Super Rugby tournament, fly him 12,000 miles to here and then another 5500 to South Africa, before he returns to Wellington to complete his contract there," Woodward wrote. 

"It makes zero sense and is intrinsically wrong. If he tours South Africa it will smack of a 'transfer' in soccer in the January window where players sign on deadline day and play on Saturday."

Woodward said he understood Shields was eligible via his English parents, but said "that doesn't mean others should be brushed aside in the stampede to select him.

"Shields is a product of the New Zealand system, won the world championship with their under 20s, has been the captain of the Hurricanes and been talked about as a possible All Black over the years.

"Why not promote from the English game, the Premiership and the RFU's outstanding under-20 system? Let's make a virtue of that.

"This is not what international rugby is all about and hands a psychological advantage to New Zealand, who secretly will be finding it highly amusing – no more than that."

Woodward also said rushing Shields into the England setup would be a "slap in the face" for  Chris Ashton who is not picked because he plays his rugby in France.

"Ashton has been scoring tries for fun at Toulon, breaking the Top 14 record last month with power to add. He is playing magnificently ...  Yet Ashton, who played in 215 competitive matches for Saints and Sarries in 11 seasons in which he lit up English rugby, is not considered eligible because he is now based 90 minutes away in Toulon.

"The immediate promotion of Shields would be an opportunist deviation from the standards we have set ourselves and which many players have adhered to. A worrying, confusing precedent that threatens the vital bond between England players that is the lifeblood of international rugby."

Shields is expected to be released for the June tour, though that has yet to be confirmed by NZ Rugby.

 - Stuff