Hurricanes loose forward Brad Shields has been named in England's squad to tour South Africa in June just hours after his eligibility was confirmed by New Zealand Rugby.

NZR announced on Thursday they would allow Shields to represent England by "special exemption" and the 27-year-old was one of eight uncapped players named in Eddie Jones' squad.

The Hurricanes captain, set to link up with Wasps at the end of the year, had been released from his contractual obligations by NZR for the three-week international window. As a result, he'll have a chance to make his international debut against the Springboks.

Despite being heavily backed for inclusion by club coach Johann Ackermann, another Kiwi - Jason Woodward - didn't get the nod.

The 27-year-old Gloucester fullback has had a stand-out season since joining from Bristol last season, scoring twice in his last four games and being named man of the match in the Challenge Cup semi-final win over Newcastle Falcons.

Woodward, who qualifies for England through his grandmother, earlier played for Wellington, and the Hurricanes in Super Rugby.

England will play South Africa in three tests, in Johannesburg on June 9, Bloemfontein on June 16, and Cape Town on June 23.

Earlier, New Zealand Rugby Head of Professional Rugby Chris Lendrum said while NZR believed there were clear legal grounds to decline a release request made by Shields' agent and the RFU, NZR considered the exceptional circumstances in this case.

"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 Investec 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.

"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."

Brad Shields said: "I'm really appreciative that New Zealand Rugby has considered my request. I know it's been a complex matter for them but I'm hugely grateful for their support on this."