He played professionally for New South Wales Waratahs and Glasgow Warriors.
He had one full international cap for Australia against England in Sydney on 12 July 1997.
His brother Andrew Blades also played for Australia and was a member of the 1999 Rugby World Cup winning team.
He was signed for Glasgow Warriors in 2001 by coach Richie Dixon and entered the UK because of his Irish passport,[2] leaving the New South Wales Waratahs.
[4][5] Blades turned to rugby coaching after his playing career, and was head coach at Southern Districts for two seasons where his team finished as runner-up in the Shute Shield grand final of 2012.