Shannon Frizell makes his big move to nail down the All Blacks No 6 jersey

There was a lot to like about Shannon Frizell’s performance for the All Blacks on Saturday night at Mount Smart Stadium, not the least of which was the leaf he took out of the Jonah Lomu book en route to the fifth try of his test career.

Frizell, along with Will Jordan, was the standout All Black on show as the New Zealanders defeated the world champion Springboks 35-20 to close one meaty paw around the Rugby Championship silverware and take a significant stride down the path towards the World Cup in France later this year.

Yet in many ways it was the Frizell performance that was the most notable. Jordan’s class has been evident for some time; Frizell’s is only beginning to become apparent. The 29-year-old Highlanders loose forward unleashed a second consecutive eye-catching performance to earn, not just the praise of his head coach, but almost certainly the No 6 jersey for the games that count in this campaign.

Until the last fortnight that jersey had been considered highly contestable, with Frizell, Luke Jacobson and big Scott Barrett (when Sam Whitelock returns) all with solid claims for the blindside flanker’s spot.

It now appears Frizell’s to lose after he followed up his outstanding performance against Los Pumas in Mendoza with an even better effort on Saturday night in the heart of Warriors country. In his 71 minutes on the park he ran for 43 metres on 9 carries, beat a game-high 9 defenders, had 2 clean breaks and an offload. He also flattened Boks fullback Willie le Roux in a 15th minute charge to the line wide on the left that had prime Lomu written all over it.

“He’s taken the challenge on board,” noted All Blacks head coach Ian Foster on Saturday night. “It’s a jersey he wants. I thought last week was one of his best tests … and to do it again this week is pretty special. He should be proud.”

On Sunday Foster went into more detail on a transformation he considered part mental, part evolutionary from his 27-test No 6. Frizell has been an All Black since 2018, but had been largely a bit-part player, limited to four tests each in ‘18, ‘20 and ‘21, five in ‘19 and eight last season.

“He’s been simmering along all Super season. We’ve always had a lot of faith in Shannon. When he’s put a black jersey on he’s always played well. Sometimes with players it takes a little while to get that 100% belief at test level. Perhaps he’s been one of those. Maybe we’ve got his roles a bit clearer,” said the All Blacks coach.

“He deserves the credit. He’s turned up and he’s kind of felt the opportunity. We’ve been really clear about the opportunity that’s there for him, and he’s taken it. So I guess sometimes it’s a bit of selection pressure, a bit of experience, and a bit of him playing like a man who really wants it.”

Asked if a game-changing effort like Saturday’s was perhaps the final string to the powerhouse’s bow, Foster talked about it being a “complete package”.

“He stayed focused, you saw him double up tasks, you saw him get up and do different things. He wasn’t just ball-carrying, he wasn’t just tackling, but cleaning, and jackling over the ball. There was a variety in his game that was pretty special.

“I hope he doesn’t read this because he might get big-headed. But he should be really proud of that game.”

That seemed to be the consensus. Highlanders team-mate, and loosehead prop, Ethan de Groot noted, “Big Frizz went real good tonight”, and veteran lock Brodie Retallick agreed. “He was awesome. I put my head up and saw him running down the sideline on the replay, bumping off le Roux. That’s what you want from your No 6.”

It’s taken him a while to get there, but right about now Big Frizz looks like he’s settled the No 6 debate. The Lomu-esque tries are just the icing on the cake.