Highlander Shannon Frizell reaches out to score against the Blues at Eden Park last month.

Don't count Tasman chief executive Tony Lewis as one of those surprised by Shannon Frizell's rapid rise into the All Blacks.

The moment he saw the then 20-year-old in action in 2014, Lewis knew the Tongan-born loose forward was destined to achieve special things.

So despite making just three starts in his rookie Super Rugby season with the Highlanders, there was no sense of shock when Frizell's name was amongst the 33-man squad to play a three-match series against France next month.

"It was only a matter of time. If you look at it it's very quick . . . but he's got the x-factor that the All Blacks are looking for, and you can't really replace that x-factor," Lewis said.

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"I think a lot of people forget how bigger impact he had during the Mitre 10 Cup season. He had a huge season last year for the Makos. And the year before, in his first year in the squad, he was very impressive as well."

MARTIN DE RUYTER Tasman Mako chief executive Tony Lewis.

So who is the latest All Blacks bolter?

Frizell, who stands at 1.95m tall and weighs 108kg, is the younger brother of Kangaroos, New South Wales and St George Illawarra Dragons league player Tyson.

While his 26-year-old brother grew up with his parents in Australia, Shannon grew up in Tonga with his adopted family, and started playing rugby.

It was in 2014 when Lewis first set eyes on Frizell, when he fronted for a Marist Pacific Island invitational team against the Tasman Mako under-19s.

"We had a reasonably good under-19 team, but there was this kid playing and every time he picked up the ball he destroyed our team," Lewis recalled.

"Very quickly my community manager, Kahu Marfell, said we've got to get this kid. Before we know it he's at Kahu's club, Marist."

RICKY WILSON/STUFF Shannon Frizell in action against Auckland in Nelson during last year's Mitre 10 Cup.

Frizell's parents, who often flew to New Zealand to watch their son play for Tasman the past two years, made the trip to Nelson when he signed with the province in 2016.

"Everyone knew he was something special, and we all think he's going to be better than his brother, who is obviously a very, very good league player, " Lewis said.

Frizell impressed in his first season with Tasman in 2016, but it was last year when he really started raising eyebrows, even before he went on to make seven appearances at lock, one at blindside flanker at one at No 8 in the NPC.

During a pre-season match between Counties and Tasman about a year ago, Frizell put on a show in front of scouts and agents from most New Zealand and Australian Super Rugby sides, Lewis said.

"Everyone was fighting for him, from the Brumbies, to the Crusaders, to the Highlanders. They were all after his signature, so you knew he was something special."

KAI SCHWOERER/GETTY Shannon Frizell, pictured taking a lineout in last year's Mitre 10 Cup final against Canterbury, mostly played lock for Tasman last season.

While Frizell ended up in Dunedin under coach Aaron Mauger, his preference was to play for the Crusaders.

"To be honest, Shannon never wanted to go to the Highlanders but his agent drove a pretty hard bargain that he wanted game time. I think if he'd gone to the Crusaders he would have got a lot of game this year, but at that stage there was Kieran Read and there was All Blacks everywhere," Lewis said.

"I think Shannon was looking at needing game time. The Crusaders were quite upset to lose him. And Tasman, from our perspective, we would have preferred it if he'd gone to the Crusaders."

Encouraged by Mauger to roam out wide where he can utilise his speed and off-loading ability, Frizell's best Super performance to date was against the Blues in Auckland last month, when he scored a hat-trick.

Game-time against France next month is far from a given, but that performance, his x-factor, and ability to cover lock, was clearly too much for Hansen to ignore.