Hurricanes captain Brad Shields has brushed off suggestions that All Blacks coach Steve Hansen would've chosen him for the June test series had he not committed to a playing future in England.
After repeatedly being overlooked for the All Blacks, Shields has foregone his NZ eligibility to chase selection for England, his parents' birthplace.
NZ Rugby has granted the 27-year-old early release from his contract in order to represent England on their upcoming tour of South Africa.
On Sunday, Hansen told Newstalk ZB that he likely would've picked the Wasps-bound forward for the upcoming All Blacks series France, citing a lack of depth at the loose forward position.
"It is obviously one of those positions... he probably would have made this team this year," Hansen told Newstalk ZB's Martin Devlin, when asked if Shields was on the radar.
"I wish him all the best. He wants to play test rugby, he obviously didn't see a future here.
"Straight away Jerome Kaino retired, Reado [Kieran Read] is injured, Liam Squire hasn't played a lot of rugby this year. The six/eight role has become a focus for us this year.
"That's the thing about the All Blacks — you've got to stay resilient because you are always up against some one else as good if not a little better ... if you are not prepared to wait for the opportunity and keep working at it you are not going to get it."
Speaking to media from Hurricanes training on Monday morning, Shields dismissed Hansen's claims, insisting that he was content with his decision to head north.
"It's the first I've heard of it," said a surprised Shields. "It is what it is - I've made my decision and I'm confident it's the right one."
Shields shrugged off any hint of frustration at Hansen's comments, preferring to keep his sights firmly on his surging Hurricanes and another Super Rugby title.
"Everyone's entitled to their opinion," he said. "I've just got to move on like I already have.
"As I said, I've made my decision and I've come to grips with that for a while now.
"Onwards and upwards, and there's plenty of opportunity here left in New Zealand to play some good footy and also abroad as well, so I'm looking forward to that."
The Hurricanes hope to claim their 11th straight win of the season when they take on the Crusaders in a mouth-watering top-of-the-table clash on Friday.
"It's going to be a step-up this week, we know that. I don't think we need much motivation for this game."
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