Ben Smith has commended Highlanders teammate Shannon Frizell for his first All Blacks selection, saying the loose forward is "a bit of freak".
Smith told media today he wasn't surprised Steve Hansen picked Frizell for next month's three-Test series against France and the Rugby Championship.
The pair were called up for the All Blacks' squad to face France next month. (Source: Other)
"He's got the skills - his skillset is pretty amazing as far as attacking skills, to know where people are in space, you've seen that a few times," he said.
"You see him just go out there and play and back what he's being doing all year, just getting out there and expressing himself."
Jordan Taufua and Shannon Frizell were thrown straight into the action with a gym session and new gameplans to learn. (Source: Other)
Frizell has made just nine appearances for the Highlanders in his first season with the southern Super Rugby franchise with the 24-year-old only named a starter in three of them.
However, he exploded onto the scene last month when he scored a hat-trick against the Blues at Eden Park in the Highlanders' 36-14 win.
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