All Black draws comparisons to legend Jerome Kaino after ‘game for the ages’

Shannon Frizell has been compared to one of the greatest blindside flankers in All Blacks history after his sensational performance against the Springboks in Auckland last weekend.

Some rugby fans may have doubted Frizell’s ability to perform on the biggest stage going into this year’s international campaign. With a World Cup on the horizon, the battle for the No. 6 was going to be fierce.

But the Highlanders forward was given the first opportunity to make that jersey his own.

Coach Ian Foster and the All Blacks selectors named Frizell at blindside against Los Pumas earlier this month, and the 29-year-old took the opportunity with both hands.

After impressing during New Zealand’s dominant win in Mendoza, Frizell was given a potentially career-defining chance to start against world champions South Africa on Saturday.

Frizell was immense. Except for maybe Will Jordan, no player performed better than the flanker that night.

Coming up against a star-studded forward pack which included captain Eben Etzebeth, lock Lood de Jager, and former sevens ace Kwagga Smith, Frizell was a class above.

Of course, it’s hard to look past the flanker’s Lomu-esque try during the first half. Much like the late All Black great back at the ’95 World Cup against England, Frizell ran over a defender with ease.

But that was just one of many highlights that night. Frizell stole the show against the Boks, and has seemingly made that No. 6 jersey his own ahead of a two-Test Bledisloe Cup series with Australia.

“A game for the ages really and I’m sure you’ve had people say this on your station Piney, the best blindside flanker performance I’ve seen since Jerome Kaino in the 2011 World Cup semi-final against Australia,” broadcaster James McOnie said on Weekend Sport with Jason Pine.

“That’s his jersey now, we can safely say it’s gonna take something special to take it off him but I think he deserves that chance now that he’s done it against such esteemed opposition.

“Even when the freaks came on from South Africa… the giants, RG Snyman (who is) six foot nine, Pieter-Steph du Toit – World Player of the Year. Even when they came on, I thought Shannon Frizell stood up.”

After singing Frizell’s praises, McOnie began talking about the selection battle at flyhalf between “all-time great” Richie Mo’unga and Damian McKenzie.

McKenzie impressed in the No. 10 jersey against Argentina, but Mo’unga stepped up against fierce rivals South Africa with potentially his best performance in the black jersey.

“If you look at history, have we done something maybe in the last World Cup when Beauden Barrett had just been named World Player of the Year twice, and was just starting to crack the code as a number 10 – and then we moved him.

“We don’t want to do that again. Richie Mo’unga had just won seven Super Rugby titles in a row, and had just got used to being a Test rugby player, why shift him now?

“Even though you know how much I love Damian, don’t forget you’ve got this absolute gem and all-time great in your midst and you wouldn’t want to waste his talents.”

The All Blacks take on rivals Australia in the first of two Bledisloe Cup Test matches later this month. Following that clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the two teams will meet again a week later in Dunedin.