Loose forward Shannon Frizell will run out for his 50th Highlanders' game this weekend.
Frizell debuted for the team in 2018 following two strong seasons with the Tasman Mako. He has been a massive contributor, scoring 17 tries in his 49 games. He was selected for the All Blacks in 2019 and has played 17 tests.
Highlanders head coach Tony Brown said Frizell had made an impact from the moment he first arrived.
''He’s a strong ball carrier and has been one of our most consistent forwards over the last few seasons,'' Brown said.
''His selection for the All Blacks is a well-earned reward for a lot of hard work put in on the training field. No doubt he will be looking forward to running out for his 50th match for a team he cares a lot about.”
Jermaine Ainsley and Fetuli Paea will both have their long-awaited debuts this weekend. Both players missed the full 2021 season due to injury.
Josh Timu and Mosese Dawii are also set to debut. It will be Timu’s first full season of Super Rugby in New Zealand after playing for the Sunwolves in Japan and then for the Crusaders as injury cover in 2021.
Mosese is in his first season at Super Rugby level. The Fijian-born winger made his mark in the NPC Premiership last season with the winning Waikato team.
“Jermaine and Fetuli have both had to be patient and put in the hard yards behind closed doors to get to this point,'' Brown said.
''I’m really excited to see them finally get their Highlander debuts on Saturday night and Josh has been in our camp for pre-season before but hasn’t had the opportunity to run out for a competition game.
"Being able to finally get his name up on the Highlanders board will mean a lot to Josh and his family.”
The game will be played behind closed doors again due to Red light restrictions. However, it will be available to watch on Sky Sport 1.
Highlanders: Sam Gilbert, Mosese Dawai, Fetuli Paea, Scott Gregor, Josh Timu, Mitch Hunt, Aaron Smith, Gareth Evans, James Lentjes, Shannon Frizell, Josh Dickson, Manaaki Selby-Rickit, Jermaine Ainsley, Liam Coltman, Ethan de Groot. Reserves: Andrew Makalio, Daniel Lienert-Brown, Josh Hohneck, Bryn Evans, Marino Mikaele-Tu’u, Folau Fakatava, Marty Banks. Thomas Umaga-Jensen.
