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'I didn't take my eyes off him'- Dane Coles singled out old mate Brad Shields during Twickenham haka

November 13, 2018

Coles says it was weird facing his long-time friend and former Hurricanes teammate.

Dane Coles has opened about his "pretty weird" experience facing off against friend and former Hurricanes teammate Brad Shields - and all the interactions the pair shared either side of the Test.

The pair played together at the Wellington Super Rugby franchise for six years before Shields uprooted earlier this year to chase an international rugby career in England.

"It's weird, especially when you're so close - I've played so much rugby with Shieldsy.

"I suppose when it's personal, it's quite difficult."

Barrett and Shields have played together at the Hurricanes for several years.

As a result, the two faced off at Twickenham on Saturday but Coles revealed there had been multiple exchanges before they took the field.

"I gave him a ring during the week and he wasn't answering my calls so I text him and said, 'oh, are you not allowed to talk to All Blacks this week?' but he had media and stuff.

"So we had a wee chat on the phone and wished each other good luck."

Coles went to approach Shields on game day but saw he was getting focused for the game so he left it for the time being - until it came time for the haka.

Mitchell was a former All Blacks coach in the early 2000s with Shields turning down a shot at representing New Zealand last year to play for England.

"I didn't take my eyes off him. I found him and I just looked straight at him and we locked eyes the whole haka.

"He wasn't giving me much and I was going pretty hard out so it was good."

The pair then finally met on the field after Coles subbed into the game.

"I tried to counter a ruck and he said, 'come on then!'"

Finally, after the All Blacks came out on top 16-15, the pair went back to being mates and opted to swap jerseys.

"I thought that was a pretty special moment for ourselves," he said.

Coles' attention now turns to Ireland, who the All Blacks play at 8am NZT on Sunday in Dublin while Shields and England host Japan at Twickenham.

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