Rugby: Brad Shields finally gets All Black jersey

Brad Shields and Dane Coles swap jerseys. Photo / Instagram

Brad Shields has finally got his hands on an All Blacks jersey - but perhaps not the way he dreamt of as a kid.

After seven years of being ignored by All Black selectors, Shields made the controversial call to accept an invitation from England head coach Eddie Jones and return to his parent's homeland to play for the English side – ultimately giving up on his dream of earning the prestigious black jersey.

Beauden Barrett of New Zealand All Blacks is tackled by Brad Shields of England during the Quilter International match between England and New Zealand. Photo / Getty

But after facing the nation of his birth this morning for the first time in London where the All Blacks defeated England 16-15, Shields managed to score himself an All Blacks jersey thanks to a touching gesture from former Hurricanes teammate Dane Coles.

Shields and Coles swapped jerseys after the clash before posting identical pictures on Instagram both describing the opportunity to face each other on the field as an honour.

"Who would have thought.! Cheers bro for the swapsies. Such an honour to play against you mate," wrote Shields.

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A post shared by Brad Shields (@bradshields)

Coles then responded on his page saying: "Huge battle against the English. Weird but huge honour to play against my mate."

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A post shared by Dane Coles (@dane__coles)

Although Shields' move was initially slammed by some Kiwi rugby fans, not one of his former Under-20 teammates have disagreed with his right to change course and win his first international cap with England last June.

Shields put in a good defensive effort in the early stages of the dramatic Twickenham clash but was off in the first half for a head injury assessment.