Taylor challenges ABs forwards to deliver
This has been a big week for All Blacks hookers cleaning house. First came Dane Coles’ stunning admission; now Codie Taylor has laid things bare with a brutal assessment of the Bledisloe no-show in Perth.
Coles set the tone for Bledisloe Cup redemption week when he fronted the media in Auckland on Monday and delivered as honest a mea culpa as we’ve heard from an All Black in a while.
Ahead of tonight’s pivotal return clash against the Wallabies, the normally happy hooker’s words drew a clear line in the sand for the All Blacks forwards. To fail to measure up this week would be a prospect beyond contemplation for anyone squeezing into black jerseys 1-8 at Eden Park in Auckland.
‘‘The hard thing to take is that we lacked intent,’’ Coles said of the 47-26 thumping in Perth. ‘‘They were really desperate to win and you could see it the way they played. Our physicality and attitude wasn’t where it needs to be.
‘‘Maybe we took it a little bit for granted . . . A lot of it is about what’s in here [he taps his chest]. We really lacked that and they brought a real hunger and were desperate. There’s a bit of soul-searching for the week. We need to find what it means to be an All Black.’’
Quite.
Fellow All Blacks forwards have all endorsed Coles’ clear challenge as the week has unfolded and Taylor, who will back him up off the bench tonight, was more than happy to add his own five cents’ worth.
‘‘As a team we’ve looked at the game last Saturday and realised we let ourselves down,’’ said the 43-test hooker.
‘‘We let the jersey down and with that comes a responsibility to front up this week.
‘‘If we don’t do the job up front in the pack we don’t give opportunities to the likes of Richie [Mo’unga] and Beauden [Barrett] to do what they can do.
‘‘It was evident in the first half on Saturday we didn’t front up and we didn’t get ball. That’s something we’ve got to do this week.’’
Taylor said the All Blacks understood the responsibility they carried and didn’t need reminding when they fell short.
‘‘As All Blacks we’ve got to front up every week or you end up with media rooms like this that are full,’’ he said, noticing the bulging attendance.
‘‘We’ve got to go out and not get too caught up in the moment and just play good footy.
‘‘We’ll know after 80 minutes if we’ve done the job because we’ll be lifting that trophy.’’
It wasn’t all grim declarations, though, from the Crusaders rake. Asked if there had been some ‘‘niggle’’ this week among the tight five, he replied: ‘‘I wouldn’t say niggle; Guzzler [Brodie Retallick] is injured, so there’s none. There’s a bit of edge given the result. But we’ve kept it real simple this week, nailed a few things we needed to in training and as a pack we’re just excited for the challenge.’’
Asked if the All Blacks were still searching for the rhythm in their game, Taylor admitted there was some truth in that assertion.
‘‘We’re trying new things given it’s World Cup year, and with that you’ve got to have a few tricks up your sleeve or change some pictures. But we say every week if we do our basics well up front we can apply some good pressure.’’
In terms of the selection bombshells, with Owen Franks, Ben Smith and Rieko Ioane dropped, Taylor said that just showed the depth the squad had.
‘‘It’s also giving these boys an opportunity in a high-level game. It’s going to be a tough test for them and getting a taste of that should pay dividends for them going forward in their careers.’’
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen, meanwhile, was at his subtle best when asked to assess the Wallabies’ breakout Perth display, steering well clear of any praise for rival Michael Cheika and talking up his old mate Scott Johnson who has come in as Australia’s director of rugby.
‘‘I’ve been harping on for years about how talented they are,’’ said the All Blacks coach.
‘‘When you’ve got talent it’s going to come to the surface eventually if you get things right, and obviously with Scott Johnson there now the environment is a little different.
‘‘That talent bubbles to the top and that’s what you get. So the expectation now is they deliver on that all the time I guess.’’