‘He’s fully selectable’: Jason Ryan on Shannon Frizell’s selection prospects

As the All Blacks head into their final home Test of the 2026 international season, they have received a much-needed boost ahead of the Wallabies clash at Eden Park in Auckland.

33-Test loose-forward Shannon Frizell has returned from a three-year stint in Japan, refreshed and ready to go, after playing the last three weeks with Tasman in the Hilux NPC competition.

The 32-year-old was named in Dave Rennie’s 34-man squad for two Test matches against the Wallabies, joining Wallace Sititi, Anton Segner, Simon Parker, Peter Lakai, and Ethan Blackadder in the loose-forwards mix.

Many wondered whether Frizell would be eased back into the All Blacks environment in his first squad appearance since the 2023 Rugby World Cup, but assistant coach Jason Ryan has put that thought to bed.

Whether the All Blacks select Frizell in the 23-man squad to take on the high-flying, unbeaten Wallabies under Les Kiss this weekend is yet to be seen, but Rennie and the coaching staff have the luxury of his availability.

“Yeah, he’s come in great shape, and I think he’s got a lot of confidence out of playing his two or three games for Tasman, which was important,” Ryan told reporters in Auckland on Monday.

“Look, he’s been over in Japan, and although he hasn’t played much at all really this season, he needed to have these games.

“So he’s fully selectable. He’s come in fresh, and we definitely know what he’s capable of. And 2022 and 23 are a couple of special seasons for him, really. He’s played 30 or 40 Tests, and yeah, it’s exciting.”

Ryan, who admitted he’s looked at himself in the mirror after a “hard” South African tour, explained the physical shape that Frizell has returned in.

“Yeah, I think he showed enough glimpses in the last two Tasman games; I thought the first two his old lungs ran out a bit, which they did.

“Like he’s a big body, so he actually needs movement. He needs to run, and his physicality, he’s really bulky in his chest and his legs.

“So he’s got power. So the match fitness was important. I think he’s got that now, whether or not he’s thrown straight into the mix to start.

“But I think he will add some value in these two games, and he needs to. We’ve got to get him in, and the quicker he gets in, the more he comes up to speed.”