All Black star: 'I take my hat off to South Africa'
SPOTLIGHT: All Black hooker Codie Taylor said his team will be looking to build on some of the positives that came out of their recent tour to South Africa.
New Zealand is currently preparing to face the Wallabies in a Bledisloe Cup clash in Sydney on Saturday.
They will head into that clash after back-to-back defeats to the Boks.
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“We’re creating a lot of opportunities. It’s just a matter of finishing them, a common trend in our reviews,” said Taylor.
“I take my hat off to South Africa. They know how to win Test matches.
“They deserve the title that they have at the moment.
“But it’s promising we can play a brand of rugby we can be proud of.
“We want to attack with the ball and have to be better at nailing opportunities, especially towards the back end of the game.”
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Taylor was one of the standout performers in the All Black team in that series in South Africa and forwards coach Jason Ryan believes he is peaking on the Test stage.
“How he prepares and gets his body right and how he helps the younger hookers that are there as well. He’s clearly been No.1 and thriving,” said Ryan.
“He’s played two massive Tests against the Boks, with big minutes, and has recovered well.
“He’s given the players around him a lot of confidence.”
The All Blacks will enter Saturday’s match against the Wallabies as favourites, but they are still wary.
“Some people might be talking negatively about Australia, but we’re making no assumptions and not taking any of this lightly,” Taylor added.
“We’re in Sydney; we’re at their home ground. Australia can do anything; we’ve seen that in the past.
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