Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

Changing of the guard: Have the All Blacks found their new star blindside flanker?

By Alex McLeod
Shannon Frizell. (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)

The Highlanders will head into battle against the Hurricanes tonight without the services of Super Rugby’s in-form flanker Shannon Frizell.

ADVERTISEMENT

Without him, their chances of walking away from Wellington with a win will be heavily dented.

It may seem harsh to say given the quality of Frizell’s replacement in three-test All Black Jackson Hemopo, and that the Highlanders are welcoming back Aaron and Ben Smith from their mandatory All Blacks rest week.

However, despite it being a clever move from head coach Aaron Mauger to implement the first of his two compulsory rest weeks now ahead of a six-match run of New Zealand derbies, the influence of their Tongan-born star cannot be understated.

It doesn’t take a genius to observe the significant contribution Frizell has made in the Highlanders’ opening three matches of 2019.

Coming off the bench against the Chiefs in their season-opener in Hamilton, the four-test blindside – alongside fellow reserve Aaron Smith – helped swing the momentum of the contest by producing a well-taken try from 21 minutes of quality rugby to hand the Highlanders a 30-27 come-from-behind victory.

He was rewarded with the starting role a week later in Dunedin, where he really turned heads against the Reds with a commanding performance which saw him bag a brace of tries, beat five defenders to make two line breaks, and run for 57 metres.

ADVERTISEMENT

Add to that the 11 tackles he completed from 11 attempts and the two turnovers he secured, and onlookers at Forsyth Barr Stadium had witnessed the most complete performance by any forward so far in Super Rugby this year.

He backed that up with another sensational outing against the Rebels, where he almost single-handedly carried the Highlanders’ forward pack to a narrow loss in Melbourne.

Had he managed to cling onto the ball over the tryline from a pick-and-go in the dying stages of the match, he would have added to the wonderful try he scored early in the first half.

Nevertheless, Frizell finished with a tidy stat sheet, completing the game with 33 running metres, five defenders beaten from one clean break, and 10 tackles made from 11 attempts.

ADVERTISEMENT

In the two matches he’s started, no forward has ousted him for ball carries, metres made, defenders beaten or clean breaks, and he now leads the competition for tries scored (four), is second for ball carries (38), and is the only forward to register in the top 10 for defenders beaten (11).

Frizell’s defensive presence shouldn’t go unnoticed either, as he’s missed just two of his 25 tackle attempts to register a success rate of 92 percent.

What’s been perhaps been most impressive, though, is his ability to manoeuvre through the tackle attempts of his opponents and drive forward to earn his side an extra few hard-earned metres.

Being able to stay on his feet and thrust his way forward made him a key attacking weapon for the Highlanders against the Chiefs, Reds and Rebels, and Hemopo will have a big job on his hands to fill that role against the Hurricanes tonight.

It’s that effectiveness and work rate across all facets of the game that has made Frizell not only a standout for the Highlanders, but it’s thrust him into the spotlight to fill the All Blacks’ number six jersey at this year’s World Cup.

The All Blacks’ incumbent number six Liam Squire has been out with a hip injury since the end of last year, and is set to have a tough time wrestling the starting blindside role off his international and Super Rugby teammate Frizell.

Since debuting for the Highlanders and All Blacks in 2016, Squire has been a monster to contain for opposition defences, such his physicality both with and without the ball.

Those qualities have earned him 23 test caps to date, and following the departure of Jerome Kaino to Toulouse last year, Squire seems to have established himself as New Zealand’s premier six.

That is if he’s fit enough to play.

The 27-year-old has built himself a reputation for being injury-plagued in recent times, and it’s a reputation that’s ruled him out of a raft of test matches, most notably the 2017 British and Irish Lions series.

Injuries can be expected given the nature of which Squire plays the game – he’s brutal, unrelenting, and is extremely confrontational – but for all the benefits that style of play brings, it could cost him his All Blacks jersey, especially when a challenger like Frizell is in the form that he’s in.

In all fairness, there’s still another 14 rounds of Super Rugby to be played, and in that timeframe, Squire could return to peak form and re-assert himself as Aaron Mauger’s and Steve Hansen’s top-class six by the business end of Super Rugby.

That’s also ample amounts of time for someone such as Hemopo, Vaea Fifita, Jordan Taufua or Dalton Papalii to bolster their claims for the starting six jersey in Japan later this year.

However, with Squire’s unreliability to stay out of the medical ward, and Frizell’s outstanding start to the year that’s overshadowed the efforts of his competitors nationwide, a change of guard at blindside flanker appears imminent at the Highlanders and All Blacks.

The Short Ball – The World Rugby Nations Championship Debacle:

Video Spacer

ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

A
Adrian 1 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

11 Go to comments
T
Trevor 4 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
B
Bull Shark 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

29 Go to comments
FEATURE
FEATURE Luke Cowan-Dickie: 'I didn’t feel right. I felt like I was going to pass out. Everything was going black in front of me' Luke Cowan-Dickie: 'I didn’t feel right. I felt like I was going to pass out. Everything was going black in front of me'
Search