Marist’s ABs production line

Don’t be surprised if you see a sign reading ‘‘All Blacks auditions here’’ at Marist RFC’s club day at Tahunanui this weekend.

After loose forward Shannon Frizell joined Jordan Taufua to become the latest Tasman All Black, the Nelson-based club can now lay claim to three current All Blacks who were also loyal to the green and black jersey.

Frizell joined fellow Marist player Liam Squire as part of a stacked loose forward contingent, while prop Kane Hames was unavailable due to injury.

Harlequins’ Tim Perry was the fourth Mako man named to face France.

Marist chairman Rob Evans said the achievement of having three current All Blacks from a single club was an extraordinary feat for any club, let alone from one of the smaller rugby regions in NZ.

‘‘[He was a] virtually unknown club player one year to All Black status the next . . . I think it would give a lot of inspiration to the teenagers in the region.’’

For senior coach Gavin Briggs, Frizell’s selection caps off a great week for Marist, having beaten Waimea Old Boys on Saturday to reach the Tasman Trophy sub-union final on Queen’s Birthday Weekend.

While some observers labelled Frizell as a bolter in Steve Hansen’s 33-man squad, Briggs said the call-up was no surprise to anyone close to the man known as ‘‘Noni’’.

‘‘Ever since he turned up in Nelson a few years back he’s certainly been one of those players we’ve watched develop into a great young man and an awesome sportsman.’’

A former Nelson Bays captain and longtime Marist front rower, Briggs said the unprecedented level of national representatives was a welcome byproduct of the professional age.

While club appearances were limited once players reached higher honours, the players’ presence at club events and training provided ‘‘huge’’ inspiration to the next batch of Marist All Blacks.

‘‘You just see the level of intensity and the vibe pick up.

‘‘That’s what we’re trying to drive – to show these boys that they don’t need to go to Auckland or Wellington to make it at a national level these days – we’ve got it on our own doorstep. We’ve just got to get players to follow that pathway and go grab it.’’

As well as the All Blacks trio, Marist was also celebrating the selection of New Zealand under-20 player Jamie Spowart, who is leaving for the World Cup in France this week.

Spowart, an old boy of Auckland’s Kings College, credited Marist as being a big part of his development since moving south last year.