Hurricanes captain Brad Shields has been given the green light by New Zealand Rugby to play for England.

England have called up Hurricanes captain Brad Shields for their tour of South Africa in June.

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) on Thursday announced they would by "special exception" allow Shields to be selected by England, so it came as no surprise when the 27-year-old loose forward was then included in Eddie Jones' squad.

England face the Springboks in three tests next month, starting in Johannesburg on June 9, when Shields could make his international debut.

GETTY IMAGES Brad Shields has been included in England's squad for their June series against South Africa.

In a statement, NZR said that Shields will be released from the obligations of his contract for the three-week international window.

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NZR head of professional rugby Chris Lendrum said they believed there were clear legal grounds for NZR to decline a release request made by Shields' agent and the RFU, but they considered the circumstances in this case to be exceptional.

"Our contract agreement requires Brad to be available for only New Zealand teams until the end of his term, which expires at the end of this year's Super Rugby season," Lendrum said.

"Having said that, Brad has been an exceptional leader inside the Hurricanes environment and a loyal servant to New Zealand Rugby.

"We have taken some time to carefully work through the complexities of this request, to ensure that we gave appropriate consideration to his specific circumstances. In the end, we are happy with the terms of his temporary release.

GETTY IMAGES Eddie Jones' England side are coming off three losses as they head to South Africa for a three-test series.

"We are extremely disappointed that the RFU chose to take this unusual step in seeking this release given that Brad has not yet played rugby in England.

"We are releasing Brad with our best wishes, and we hope to see him achieve his goal of playing international rugby in June."

The Hurricanes skipper confirmed last November that he was moving to England in 2018, having signed a deal with Wasps, and later revealed that being constantly overlooked by the All Blacks was a contributing factor.

PHOTOSPORT Brad Shields qualifies to represent England through his English parents, Nigel and Danielle.

When Jerome Kaino suffered a season-ending knee injury on last year's northern hemisphere tour, Shields rejected a call-up from the All Blacks to join the squad as cover.

The former New Zealand under-20s representative, who will return to finish the Super Rugby season with the Hurricanes before joining Wasps, is eligible to play for England through his English parents, Nigel and Danielle.

Shields, who was born in Masterton, made his provincial debut for Wellington in 2010, before his first Hurricanes outing in 2012, and he's played all of his professional rugby in the capital.

GETTY IMAGES Brad Shields will complete this Super Rugby season with the Hurricanes before his move to England with Wasps.

"I'm really appreciative that New Zealand Rugby has considered my request," said Shields, who was part of the Hurricanes side that won their maiden Super Rugby title in 2016.

"I know it's been a complex matter for them but I'm hugely grateful for their support on this."

Shields is one of eight uncapped players included in the 34-man squad to tour South Africa, with Owen Farrell named captain in the absence of Rotorua-born Dylan Hartley (concussion).

GETTY IMAGES Recalled first five-eighth Danny Cipriani hasn't played for his country since 2015.

"He's a hard-working, gritty player, he's a great backup to Chris Robshaw for us," Jones said of Shields.

But asked why he had to pick a player not playing in England or hasn't come through the English system, Jones deflected.

"That's not my responsibility," Jones said. "My responsibility is to play England-qualified players. So I get a list of England-qualified players and I pick the best. I don't decide the regulations."

CIPRIANI'S LAST CHANCE

First-five Danny Cipriani was rewarded for his outstanding form for Wasps by being picked in England's squad for the tour of South Africa.

The last of Cipriani's 14 caps was in the build-up to the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Coach Eddie Jones had misgivings over his attitude in a team environment but changed his mind and said he was also an option at fullback.

"I've watched him closely and he's looking good," Jones said. "He deserves his opportunity. He's done a few things I've asked him to do."

The other newcomers were Saracens back-rower Ben Earl and halfback Ben Spencer, Wasps halfback Dan Robson and back-rower Jack Willis, Exeter lock Jonny Hill, and 18-year-old Sale back Cameron Redpath, the son of former Scotland captain Bryan Redpath.

Danny Care, Dan Cole, James Haskell and Richard Wigglesworth have been rested, while the likes of Courtney Lawes, George Kruis, Nathan Hughes, Sam Underhill, Anthony Watson, Jonathan Joseph and Jack Nowell were injured or in recovery.

Jones opted against resting any of his British and Irish Lions: Farrell, Maro Itoje and Mako Vunipola were included, and Billy Vunipola will play for the first time since the 2017 Six Nations after recovering from a broken arm.

"We have an opportunity to create some history next month and win the test series, something no England side has done before," Jones said. "With three weeks to prepare for the first test in Johannesburg I am expecting players to come into camp with the right mindset.

"We will be looking for them to break the mold in terms of being more assertive and on the front foot in everything we do.

"We will need to be physically aggressive and tactically smart against the Springboks, who we know will be combative and reinvigorated by their new coaching setup."

Scott Wisemantel, an Australian who was recently the backs coach working under Jake White at Montpellier, will join England for the tour as an attack consultant.

England faces the Springboks in tests in Johannesburg on June 9, Bloemfontein on June 16, and Cape Town on June 23.

AT A GLANCE

England squad for South Africa tour (*denotes uncapped player)

Backs: Mike Brown, Elliot Daly, Nathan Earle*, Jonny May, Denny Solomona, Danny Cipriani, Owen Farrell (c), George Ford, Alex Lozowski, Cameron Redpath*, Dan Robson*, Henry Slade, Ben Spencer*, Ben Te'o, Ben Youngs

Forwards: Tom Curry, Ben Earl*, Jonny Hill*, Nick Isiekwe, Maro Itoje, Joe Launchbury, Chris Robshaw, Brad Shields*, Sam Simmonds, Billy Vunipola, Jack Willis*, Mark Wilson, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Joe Marler, Kyle Sinckler, Mako Vunipola, Harry Williams

- Stuff, AP