Scott Barrett watched the Springboks beat the All Blacks three Tests in a row from his couch, 10 months out with a back that needed surgery. “It’s really easy when you’re sitting on the couch at home, and you’re a fan,” he told Sport Nation. “You can say, yeah, push harder, boys.”
On Saturday he stops watching. Dave Rennie has named Barrett, 32, at lock alongside Josh Lord for the Bledisloe Cup opener against the Wallabies at Eden Park, with Shannon Frizell, 32, on the bench. Neither has played a Test this year.
Barrett has 89 Tests, more than the other three locks in the squad put together. Before this week, he had played a couple of NPC games for Taranaki. Is that enough to fix a scrum the Springboks pushed around?
They come in after a 3-1 series defeat by the Springboks. All Blacks forwards coach Jason Ryan told reporters the pack lost the physical contest in patches, RNZ reported on 6 October.
‘A little bit of discomfort in the room’
Ryan did not dress up the review of the series. “There’s a little bit of discomfort in the room, as there should be,” he told reporters, 1News reported. Against the Wallabies, he said, the eight forwards cannot afford to give ground.
In mid-August, before the first Test, Ryan rated the Springboks scrum as the world’s best. At Ellis Park, New Zealand conceded scrum penalty after scrum penalty for most of the first hour, then turned it round and won 33-16.
Barrett watched the whole series from home. He told reporters the set piece was where South Africa clawed their way back into games, using penalties won on their own scrum feed to gain ground.
“As a tight forward, you sort of feel for the boys over there that were put under pressure,” Barrett said.
READ ALSO: The scrum detail two former front-rowers spotted at Ellis Park
Scott Barrett’s 89 Tests outweigh the other three locks
Barrett’s 89 caps are more than Tupou Vaa’i (51), Josh Lord (17) and Fabian Holland (15) have between them.
| Locks in the squad | Tests |
|---|---|
| Scott Barrett | 89 |
| Tupou Vaa’i | 51 |
| Josh Lord | 17 |
| Fabian Holland | 15 |
Patrick Tuipulotu is out with a calf strain, so those four are the only locks in the 34. Across the four-Test series against the Springboks, Rennie used five different locks, as we reported on 14 September. The second row never settled.
Barrett also captained the All Blacks before Ardie Savea, who is now out with a shoulder injury. Codie Taylor leads the side in the Bledisloe series.
Frizell’s last Test was a World Cup final
That was the 2023 final against the Springboks in France. He went to Japan with Toshiba Brave Lupus, where a hamstring injury limited his minutes, and came home to play for Tasman in the NPC, New Zealand’s provincial competition.
His 33 caps are the most of any loose forward in the squad. Wallace Sititi has 23; Ethan Blackadder, Peter Lakai, Simon Parker and Anton Segner have 41 between them.
Frizell played four NPC games for Tasman, finishing with 80 minutes at No 8 in the 50-33 win over Waikato, 1News reported. “He’s fully selectable, he’s come in fresh, and we know what he’s capable of,” Ryan said. He described Frizell as a big, powerful body. That is what the pack was short of against the Springboks.
Frizell admits he is not all the way back. “I feel like I’m not there yet, but I know I’m capable of doing the job,” he said.
Tasman is not the Wallabies
NZR says Barrett’s time out included a sabbatical and back surgery. We reported in September that his absence covered the July Tests and all four Tests against the Springboks.
Ryan’s case for both is NPC appearances. The Wallabies, who beat a much-changed Springboks side 42-38 in Perth in late September, are a different grade.
He also said the squad is carrying injuries after a rugged tour. Savea, Luke Jacobson, Tuipulotu and Ruben Love are all unavailable, and Richie Mo’unga and Fehi Fineanganofo have since been ruled out too. Rennie needed bodies as much as he needed Barrett.
Barrett starts and Frizell waits for his chance
Rennie has gone straight in with Barrett. He starts with Josh Lord and Tupou Vaa’i moves to blindside. Frizell wears 19. Kick-off is 7:10pm NZT on Saturday 10 October at a ground where New Zealand have not lost since 1994, according to RNZ. The second Test is at Accor Stadium in Sydney on 17 October (full All Blacks fixtures).
Barrett isn’t pretending it’s easy. “Test match footy will be another step up, or two,” he said.
If the scrum goes backwards on Saturday, is that on two veterans with a handful of NPC games, or on the coaches who picked them?
