Codie Taylor describes All Blacks loss as a ‘good stepping stone’ and reflects on ‘elevator’ encounters with Springboks fans
New Zealand's Codie Taylor runs into two Springbok tacklers in Baltimore and, inset, leading the pre-match haka
Codie Taylor has put a positive spin on the All Blacks’ defeat in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, suggesting it has set Dave Rennie’s team up for a successful 2027 Rugby World Cup.
Axed from the third Test team last weekend in Soweto, the veteran hooker was recalled to the starting side for Saturday’s series finale in Baltimore and named as captain.
Trailing by three points at the interval, New Zealand couldn’t do enough in the second half to close the gap, and they were beaten by a margin of 15 points (43-28).
It was a disappointing outcome for the All Blacks as they had initially taken a 1-0 series lead after defeating the Springboks 33-16 in Johannesburg on August 22. However, they lost 33-26 in Cape Town and 29-24 in Soweto to leave the Springboks holding a 2-1 lead heading into the American finale.
“A bloody good side…”
Asked for his series hot take, Taylor said: “Reflecting on the first game, we probably created a few more moments in that second half and applied a lot of pressure, and then we probably fell short to a few crucial moments in those last three Tests and South Africa are just a bloody good side.
“They’ll punish you if you give them those opportunities. But in saying that, there’s so much to be excited and proud of and the group that we have in the All Blacks, and you know, this is a good stepping stone for us for what’s to come in the future, especially next year.
“Just the culture has been amazing,” he added, continuing his positive reflection on the tour for the All Blacks. “We’ve sort of grown as a team off the field and I feel like the connection’s amazing.
“We got a few things on the field that we want to get right, and I feel like we’ve made some growth in those areas, but it’s a special team to be a part of, you know. Everyone’s giving their all each day – the management, the players – and I feel like we’re heading in the right direction. It’s gutting (to lose) this tour but still so proud of the men that we have.”
The pride carried over into the on-field spectacle where both the All Blacks and Springboks players hunkered down to share a post-series moment of prayer. “It just comes from the fact that both nations love rugby,” reckoned Taylor.
“We’ve experienced in South Africa how much they love rugby, and both teams are full of great men of character and that’s where the respect comes from.
“In saying that, when you pull the jersey on for your nation you want to go out there and beat whoever is in front of you and unfortunately, we’re on the short side of that this tour, but that’s where the respect stems from – proud rugby nations with great men in the squads.”
Saturday’s 68,173 attendance at M&T Bank Stadium was a record for Test rugby in the United States and Taylor reckoned it boded well for a successful Rugby World Cup when the North American country hosts the tournament in 2031.
“It’s been amazing to come over here and just soak up what America has to offer. You know, they obviously love their sports, and they got right behind rugby.
“I would have liked to see a few more black jerseys, but obviously there’s a lot of South Africans over here, which I wasn’t aware of until you see them in the elevator every time you go up and down at our hotel.
“So, it’s been awesome. Loved coming here. It’s been a nice way to sort of wrap up the tour and yeah, looking forward to getting home now back to families and connecting back with them before we get into the Aussies.
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“(It showed) Just how exciting rugby can be. America’s obviously got some great sports over here and they are fanatical about every sport that they’re involved in.
“So it’s been great to see USA Rugby sort of keep building and leading into 2031. It’s in a pretty good place to start building a foundation for what will be an awesome World Cup come five years.”
