At a glance
The back three was also a tight selection, with Nehe Milner-Skudder landing the one contestable spot ahead of a raft of quality contenders headed by in-form Hurricane Ben Lam whom Hansen admitted was unlucky to miss his first international callup.
Hansen remains a master at taking care of the present while also building for the future, and Frizell and Tahuriorangi tick those boxes. Third halfback has been a problem since Tawera Kerr-Barlow announced his departure, and this is the beginning of their process addressing that. Frizell was being compared yesterday with some of the great hard men of All Blacks blindside play.
Told that Chiefs skipper Sam Cane had mentioned a similarity between the games of Tahuriorangi and Aaron Smith, Hansen said: ‘‘He’s more a Graeme Bachop-style halfback. He reminds me of Grim the way he runs, the way he’s really wristy in passing. All Blacks squad:
❚ Backs: Jordie Barrett, Ben Smith (vc), Nehe Milner-Skudder, Waisake Naholo, Rieko Ioane, Jack Goodhue, Sonny Bill Williams, Anton Lienert-Brown, Ngani Laumape, Ryan Crotty, Richie Mo’unga, Damian McKenzie, Beauden Barrett, Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, TJ Perenara, Aaron Smith.
❚ Forwards: Luke Whitelock, Liam Squire, Shannon Frizell, Ardie Savea, Jordan Taufua, Sam Cane (vc), Vaea Fifita, Scott Barrett, Brodie Retallick, Sam Whitelock (c), Owen Franks, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Jeff To’omaga-Allen, Tim Perry, Joe Moody, Nathan Harris, Codie Taylor.
‘‘Aaron Smith has been a big key with his quality and speed, and we know TJ [Perenara] brings a variation on that. Having someone else fill the role Aaron is doing with the ability to get the ball from A to B really quickly is important. We’re excited about what we’ve seen, now we want to work with him.’’
Selector and former All Blacks great Grant Fox agreed with Hansen’s assessment.
‘‘He’s got a superb pass, he’s quick off the deck, very good off both wings, and has a good pass to handle for both
backs and forwards . . . the way he’s wristy with the pass and how he runs reminds you a bit of Graeme Bachop.’’
Hansen admitted Frizell was in this group because of what they saw in his future, rather than necessarily his present.
‘‘We’ve lost Jerome Kaino who has been around a long time, and provided a lot of positive intent when he carried, when he cleared rucks and tackled. If you think back to Jerry Collins, Jamie Joseph, Cowboy Shaw in that 6 role, they are the type of players we’ve had.
‘‘Shannon comes in with a similar style. He’s energetic and he wants to be in your grill in a positive way with his intentions when he’s tackling and cleaning. We have to take our time developing him and see where we get to.’’
New skipper Sam Whitelock had not travelled for the camp because of health issues, but it was hoped he would join his new team before tomorrow’s wind-up.
‘‘We’re excited about what we’ve seen, now we want to work with him.’’ Steve Hansen on new All Black Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi
what a fallacious view that was, called up as one of three new caps in Steve Hansen’s All Blacks squad of 33 to take on the French in three tests next month.
Taufua, who is 1.87m and 107kg, plays with a relentless ferocity and physicality that has long had those in red-andblack country convinced he is capable of taking the step up into that black jersey. Now he can’t wait to prove those remaining doubters wrong.
‘‘There’s a lot of noise about that,’’ he says of the size matters theory. ‘‘When I’m on the field I feel like I’m twice the size.
‘‘When I go out there I play with passion and energy, and I make sure I bring the energy because all this talk about height gets me up and gets me excited.’’
If that sounds like Taufua plays with a chip on his shoulder, never mind. It clearly works for him.
With Kieran Read still on the long road from back surgery, he has filled the gap at the Crusaders admirably. Now he gets the chance to do likewise in the and heavy enough and powerful enough’’ and the only shortcomings, as it were, came around his effectiveness in the lineout.
‘‘It changes the balance little bit, but we can work around that. No one is perfect and at times we’ve got to remind ourselves we’re selecting them because they do a number of other things very well, and we can work on the things they don’t.’’
Taufua received the traditional call advising him of his All Blacks callup in the wake of the Crusaders’ hard-fought 32-24 victory over the Blues at Eden Park on Saturday night.
Not that he regarded it in the time-honoured fashion.
‘‘Our manager Shane Fletcher said [Gilbert] Enoka is on the phone. My first reaction was ‘who’s that?’ I’ve never met the guy. We started chatting and he let me know I’d made the team,’’ he said at the squad announcement in Auckland.
‘‘It was pretty special. I was a bit speechless and overwhelmed, and at the same time excited,’’ Taufua said.