'He dominates that competition': Jamie Joseph on Shannon Frizell's return

Shannon Frizell has confirmed his return to New Zealand later this year, signing with New Zealand Rugby, Tasman and the Highlanders on an 18-month deal.

The 32-year-old decided to forgo his All Blacks eligibility back in 2023 when signing a two-year deal with Tokyo’s Toshiba Brave Lupus, and subsequently opted to extend his time away by another season, all while maintaining his expressed desire to return home in time to contest for 2027 Rugby World Cup selection.

It has been a successful stint offshore for the Rugby World Cup bronze and silver-medalist, with two titles alongside fellow returning All Black Richie Mo’unga in Japan Rugby League One. The 195 cm, 114 kg flanker scored 21 tries across those two championship runs, but has spent much of the current season on the sidelines with a broken hand.

With 33-Test All Black loose forwards in short supply across the rugby world, Frizell’s signature is a significant boost to the Highlanders, whom he debuted for in 2018 and proceeded to play 68 games.

The club’s head coach, Jamie Joseph, fronted the media on Tuesday to discuss the new addition.

“I think Shannon’s rugby speaks for itself,” Joseph said. “His goal to come back home and work his way into the All Blacks team coincided with our goal of having a quality player like Shannon come back. His experience and confidence coming into the group are going to be good for us next year.”

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Frizell’s Super Rugby return will coincide with the arrival of Chiefs and All Blacks XV playmaker Josh Jacomb, while lock Fabian Holland and emerging halfback Dylan Pledger are also set to return from their respective injuries in plenty of time for the 2027 campaign.

Kiwi fans may be unsure of the flanker’s form, having last seen him play in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final, but Joseph was more than satisfied with Frizell’s impact for Todd Blackadder’s outfit.

“I’ve been over there a few times and seen him play. He dominates that competition, pretty much how he dominated Super Rugby at times here. Big squads need depth in all positions, and he obviously provides a lot of that.”

The timeline on Frizell’s All Blacks eligibility will be one question that needs answering. When Leicester Fainga’anuku returned from France last year, he was initially ruled ineligible for the All Blacks’ July fixtures and Rugby Championship, although a loophole allowed him to join the team as injury cover, which he did when Timoci Tavatavanawai went down.

As it stands, both Frizell and Mo’unga will be in the same boat as Fainga’anuku was, ineligible to play until later in the year, after they have competed for their respective NPC teams, and crucially, after the All Blacks’ July Tests and tour of South Africa.

Regardless, Joseph says Frizell’s presence within New Zealand Rugby is of great benefit to all involved.

“He’s played a lot of rugby, he’s been to World Cups, and he’s hungry. He’s coming back to try his very best to make the All Blacks, and we provide a pathway for that…

“He’s going to have stiff opposition, and we can benefit from that. When players are hungry to wear the black jersey again, it’s good for New Zealand Rugby, and it’s certainly good for us as the Highlanders. We get to feed off his motivation to come back and do something different. We’re really happy that he’s returning to New Zealand.”