Back in black: Scott Barrett & Shannon Frizell prepare for Bledisloe

Watch Scott Barret and Shannon Frizell discuss being back in All Blacks camp ahead of Bledisloe Cup game one.

The All Blacks open the Bledisloe Cup series against the Wallabies this Saturday at Eden Park. Limited tickets are available HERE. 

New Zealand v Australia, 10 October 2026 at Eden Park, Auckland
Australia v New Zealand, 17 October 2026 at Accor Stadium, Sydney

Interview Transcript

Shannon, how good is it to be back in the All Blacks again after a few years away? 

"Yeah, I'm excited to be back. Kind of nervous as well. but yeah, it's good to be back."

How have the last 3 years been playing in Japan, what have you learned over there?

"Yeah, I enjoy the rugby in Japan, get to learn a different type of rugby, it's a little bit different from New Zealand, but I'm excited to be back here."

After a couple of games for Tasman, you feel ready to play test footy again?

"I feel like I'm not there yet, but I know I'm capable of doing the job."

When you left after the World Cup, did you always think in the back of your mind that you wanted to get back here at some point?

"I feel like when when I left, when you don't get the job done, you kind of have that feeling in the back of my head, maybe I'll still feel like I have my best rugby still in front of me and I'll give myself another chance."

Scott, what was the feeling for you coming back into this environment? The last time you were here, there was a different coach, you were the captain, you come into a different environment now, how is it for you?

"Yeah, I'm I'm hugely excited to be back in here. it's always an honor to get named to play for your country and represent that. I haven't actually played for a long time as well, bar the last couple of weeks. So for me to be back in and around rugby is exciting in itself and I'm looking forward to contributing to the team in whatever capacity."

"Is that the biggest tick box for you, actually getting back on the field and getting some minutes under your belt? 

Yeah, for sure. I've played rugby for as long as I can can remember, but when you have a decent break and you know 10 months is a fair fair chunk of time, and you certainly need to get some rugby under your belt to get your timing and get back into match fitness and the groove."

Is there quite a sense of excitement for you playing for your province and then coming back in with new leadership, do you just feel quite excited to just get stuck in?

I think to go through, play rugby for Taranaki over the last couple of weeks and be around the province there. It's been great, a lot of history and there's a reunion on the weekend for a Shield game that dad was involved in, and to play alongside Beaudy you know, now a centurion as well, so, there was a lot in that game yesterday, a pretty proud province. To go through that pathway was actually a pretty awesome feeling, equally excited to get back in here today, fully aware of test week and what's happening this week."

How does it feel different going into this without the captain's duties though?

"Oh yeah how would I put it? Whatever capacity I'm in this team you know I'm going to put my hand up and contribute, you know, I'm probably naturally a leader in other teams and you know I'll certainly put my best foot forward for selection and contribute in whatever capacity. So if that's supporting Cody, if that's preparing the team this week, whatever is needed, I'll certainly fill that role. I think there's been a lot of water that's gone under the bridge since I was last here and I'm equally excited to see where this team's shifted to."

After the injury do you feel refreshed coming back into the side?

"Yeah, for sure. I think probably the back end of last year, there was a couple of niggling things. So that sabbatical was always an opportunity that was strategic to get on top of those things and get the body feeling ready for 12 months of what would have been 18 months, but yeah, it's now 12 months of high quality rugby ahead. Similar to Shannon, I'm looking forward to giving my best for this team in whatever capacity that is."

Scott, you were a bit of a reluctant captain under Razor. Is that a fair assessment?

I don't know what a reluctant captain means to be honest. I had a conversation with him (new coach Dave Rennie) and several actually. So it was it was pretty open and honest around my experience through that 2-year period, and I guess he made the assessment on that conversation, whether he had that in his mind to go a different direction with the captaincy, that conversation may have confirmed that, but like I alluded to, you know I'm hugely excited to be back in this team and I'm looking forward to contributing in whatever capacity"

With the ten month break were there fears that you wouldn't get back to the All Blacks?

"I planned to come back in Super Rugby and there was a bit of uncertainty with the injury that I was dealing with at the time, and to miss out on the RGR tour was hugely disappointing, you know, that was highlighted last year that it was going to be a huge occasion. But I think you quickly learn to put those things behind you and in the rehab process you focus on day-to-day what you can control, and I've worked pretty hard behind the scenes to get myself into a position to play rugby again, and that's where I'm at at the moment and yeah, loving it."

Scott and Shannon, the last time the Wallabies held the Bledisloe cup was in 2002, what were you guys doing in 2002? What were you into?

Scott: "Primary school. Yeah, under nines, probably Coastal there."

Shannon: "Yeah, school, in my village back in Tonga, playing soccer."

Scott: "Yeah. goalie. quality goalie."

Shannon, it's been a big week or so for your family, in rugby union with your selection, and the league as well, what did you make of the game last night? (NRL Grand Final in which Shannon's brother Tyson played for the Newcastle Knights) 

"Yeah, gutted for the Knights. It was close game and I watched it with a couple of the boys and I'm so gutted for them, but they had a good season."

Everybody's saying that you guys are world class players. Scott, to you as a world class player, what does it take to be a world class player and who do you think actually is world class in your position?

"Yeah, that's an interesting phrase, the world class, because personally I think it gets bandied around a little bit. I think world class is you deliver on the world stage against the best across not just one game. So I think that's when you can sort of put yourself in that conversation, but yeah a lot of those judgments are for other people who probably have the expertise to make that judgment."

What did you make of the Springboks tests, watching that?

"I watched those tests as a fan, like the rest of everyone back here. You sort of ride the emotions of results. I think the set piece is probably an area where they worked themselves back into the game. In critical moments they were able to get up the field through scrum penalties on their ball, and their DNA, they lent on it, and it fed into other areas of their game which is the maul that's been a strength of theirs for a long time. So probably those couple of areas as a tight forward, you sort of feel for the boys over there that were put under pressure, and you know, come away off the back of a series loss. So, probably those two are keen interests of mine."

You watched that with like a critical eye. You thinking, okay, we need to do X, Y, and Zed to to fix these areas up when you're just watching on the couch?

"Yeah. I'm naturally a little bit of a skeptic. So yeah, I think it's easy to criticise when you're on the couch at home, you're not there with the boys in those pressure moments and the conditions there are probably like no other. So yeah, I have to check myself to say 'you're not there' and don't fall into that trap, it's a slippery slope when you start complaining about referee calls and all that stuff. So yeah, I was just sitting back here watching it as a fan more than anything. Being supportive of the team and brothers who are playing over there."

Scott, Jason Ryan (forwards coach) said the All Blacks forwards were definitely second best in that series against South Africa, and as part of a forward split going into this Bledisloe series, what's the mindset? Do the collective of forwards feel like they're victims of that statement today?

"Yeah, the Australians, you know, they beat South Africa, so we're fully on alert for what's coming this week. As a team, we've already addressed a few things on where we need to get better, as you allude to around the scrum, and we talked about them, but it's not until you see it on the grass and you can make those shifts and turn them into habits. So like anything it's not an overnight fix and we'll have to work pretty hard this week and going forward."

Can you give us a quick rundown of the surgery you had?

"I had a discectomy, I had a bulged disc that pressed on the nerve and sort of turned the power off down the left side. So the surgeon basically relieved the pressure and yeah, was able to get back to running and sit down for longer than two minutes which is quite nice."

Is it considered a big one, it's major surgery?

"Well it's a micro discectomy, it's a minor procedure, but it's your back, so it puts you on guard a little bit, any surgery is major, so yeah, I've come back pretty good, feeling great after that four months on, ready to go."

Are you confident of the lungs is handling the new Rennie playing style? 

"Yeah, after the Hawks Bay game, the lungs were, 15 minutes in there, I was like, what haven't I done the last four months? But I think nothing can really prepare you for playing rugby. So, yeah, I feel better for having a couple of games under my belt. And equally, test match footy will be another step up, or two. So yeah, probably mentally, just where you go when you are buggered is is probably more the thing."

The All Blacks open the Bledisloe Cup series against the Wallabies this Saturday at Eden Park. Limited tickets are available HERE. 

New Zealand v Australia, 10 October 2026 at Eden Park, Auckland
Australia v New Zealand, 17 October 2026 at Accor Stadium, Sydney