“We’re still in the same league and we’re still the same group chat. A lot of those boys I haven’t seen since school. A few of them are in London, a few of them in New York, we message most days.
“I watch most of the [NRL] games, but purely from a fantasy footy point of view, to be honest.
Wallabies Jeremy Williams and Nick Frost of the Wallabies celebrate after a penalty in the third Test.Credit: Getty Images
“It’s a hobby. I don’t play golf or anything, so it’s something to do away from the game [rugby]. There’s a bit of study and different things you have a look at. It’s gotten a bit more serious over the past few years. It’s good fun.”
With a towering build perfect for union, there’s no danger of the Brumbies star defecting to the Raiders any time soon. But Frost has developed an expert eye in the 13-man game as well, as required for the helter-skelter weekly business of deciding which NRL players will earn him maximum points.
“You watch a lot of players. You know what players are good in it,” Frost said. “Defensive issues, attacking edges. Which teams go down which edge. Who to run at, what they do. All that goes into it. Especially if you’re deciding who to play or not. If they’re running at a half that isn’t great defensively.
“You kind of take risks. I know a whole lot of that. And there’s injuries too, which is a massive one. Late injuries. Prices on people and making trades at the right time.
“Trying to find the players is half the thing. If you go with the same players everyone’s going to get, you’re not going to be different to anyone. It’s mostly stats-based. So I guess that’s a bit of analytical side of things.”
Managing Skinnys Superstars consumes “a fair bit” of his downtime, Frost admits. And particularly recently, when it became apparent he had a chance of winning.
The doubly remarkable part was all that was unfolding when the Wallabies star was already in the middle of a massive Lions series in July, and then in a different timezone in South Africa in August.
“By the end of it, when I was up near the top 10, I was like, jeez, you’re definitely thinking about it a bit more time. You’re more stressed about decisions you make,” Frost said.
Indeed, it’s fair to assume that the 25-year-old, a digital polymath who is also into coding, gaming and DJing, wears out his laptops at an extraordinary rate.
In his day job, Frost spends hours studying the strengths and weaknesses of opposing lineouts, trying to figure out ways to not only win all the Wallabies’ throws, but pick off rivals’ throws as well.
It’s not quite the same as spotting an NRL team with a defensive flaw, but it’s not a million miles away either.
“I like to try and watch the game normally if I’m watching a Super Rugby game or a Test match,” Frost says. “You just try and watch it as a fan. But then you come in on Monday or Tuesday and do a bit more of the study.”
Nick Frost in a lineout against the Springboks in Brisbane.Credit: Getty Images
Frost calls the lineouts for the Brumbies and the Wallabies, meaning on-field decisions are mostly his. Extensive analysis with his coaches and fellow lineout forwards is bread-and-butter during the week.
“You roughly know players and trends, but it’s always evolving for every team. It’s a bit of a cat-and-mouse game. There’s moves you do, and then you’ve got a team who’ll catch up and learn the moves you do. And it’s the same for us,” Frost said.
“It’s always evolving and trying to find the next thing. You look at other teams and there are moves they’re doing. You’re like, hmm, I’ll steal that. That’s going to work against a certain team.”
Of the many factors contributing to the Wallabies’ successes in 2025, the security offered by rock-solid set pieces is arguably the most important. Under Mike Cron’s tutelage, the Wallaby scrum has a 100 per cent success rate, and the lineout, led by Frost and Jeremy Williams, has rarely been bested.
“It’s always evolving for every team. It’s a bit of a cat-and-mouse game.”
Nick Frost on lineout strategy
The pair, along with recently departed forwards coach Geoff Parling, are often seen at halftime or during lightning breaks poring over laptops.
“There’s always a plan pre-game but you’ve got to be able to adapt,” Frost said. “That’s where the biggest growth has potentially been with us over the past year – attacking defensively. Being able to adapt mid-game, to figure out what’s working and what’s not.”
Frost’s form this year, too, has been career-best. After debuting in 2022, the Sydneysider quickly became a regular starter for Dave Rennie and Eddie Jones, but it is under Joe Schmidt that Frost has grown into a world-class lock.
Nick Frost at Wallabies training this week in Auckland.Credit: Getty Images
Unsuprisingly, he is the Wallabies’ most prolific lineout forward, with 36 takes this year and nine steals; both team-highs. Despite missing a Test, he is also top three in lineout stats across the Rugby Championship.
But the big improvements have come in Frost’s physicality and industry. Having been told by Schmidt and Laurie Fisher last year he needed to work on his tight game, Frost has conspicuously muscled up this year.
He sits third behind Fraser McReight and Harry Wilson for most tackles, and third for most attacking rucks hit, too.