All Black Frizell in alleged assault on woman at bar
All Blacks and Highlanders loose forward Shannon Frizell is alleged to have been involved in an assault on a woman at a Dunedin bar.
The alleged incident unfolded at Vault 21 in the small hours of Sunday morning, a popular restaurant/bar in the Octagon, the busy nightlife hub in the centre of the city.
Police confirmed they were investigating following a report of an assault at a ‘‘bar in the Octagon’’ at about 2.30am on Sunday.
Officers were not called to the incident, and police were notified of the allegations at noon on Sunday.
Inquiries were under way and nobody had been arrested, a spokeswoman said yesterday. St John was notified but did not attend.
Highlanders chief executive Roger Clark told Stuff yesterday: ‘‘We are aware of an alleged incident involving a player on Saturday night. We will investigate and make no further comment at this stage.’’
Stuff has also approached New Zealand Rugby and Frizell’s agent to seek comment.
Frizell, 27, made his All Blacks debut in 2018 and has played 13 tests.
He was part of the All Blacks squad at the Rugby World Cup in 2019 after being called in as an injury replacement for Luke Jacobson.
His form for the Highlanders last year saw him rewarded with the All Blacks No 6 jersey at the start of the test campaign, although he could not cement that role and was replaced by Akira Ioane by the end of the year.
However, Frizell is again one of the front-runners to wear the All Blacks No 6 jersey this year after another strong season for the Highlanders.
In April, he re-signed with the Otago Super Rugby franchise and New Zealand Rugby until 2023.
‘‘I have enjoyed my time here, I like Dunedin and the culture of the team, it seems to get the best out of me,’’ he said at the time.
The Highlanders did not have a game last weekend as the Crusaders and Chiefs contested the Super Rugby Aotearoa final, but they face the Reds in Dunedin on Friday in the first game of the six-week Super Rugby trans-Tasman competition.