Codie Red: How Taylor bounced back
Hooker enjoys return to form after earlier struggles
One hundred per cent, it’s tough; tough for me, tough for my family. I tend to stay away from social media. Codie Taylor
All Blacks are invincible, right? Well, no, not quite. The reality is far removed from that perception. Away from the spotlight, they experience the same, fluctuating emotions as anyone.
Just ask Codie Taylor. The Crusaders hooker has played 74 tests, featuring in the 2015 World Cup success and winning countless trophies since.
Yet this year, there was one test all anyone wanted to mention to Taylor — August 27, when the All Blacks suffered their first home defeat against the Pumas in Christchurch, his adopted home city.
Taylor replaced standout Chiefs hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho early in the second half, only to endure a forgettable night with this lineout throwing in the final quarter as the All Blacks collapsed to another historic defeat.
With interest in the All Blacks reaching fever-pitch following head coach Ian Foster’s knife-edge endorsement through to the World Cup the previous week, mistakes in the public eye magnified.
Public feedback, particularly through social media, was swift. In the age of instant gratification, many wanted Taylor’s experience immediately cast aside.
“It’s tough,” Taylor told the Weekend Herald of that challenging period. “It’s New Zealand’s favourite sport. Every time you go out there, the telescope is right on you. For me personally, it has been a roller-coaster.
“One hundred per cent, it’s tough; tough for me, tough for my family. I tend to stay away from social media these days.”
The All Blacks removed Taylor from the next two tests to give him time to work through the fallout, work on his game, but more importantly, reach a mental space where he was ready to cope with the pressures the test arena demands.
Installed to start against the Wallabies at Eden Park, Taylor did so against a backdrop of intense scrutiny. For 57 minutes that night, Taylor performed his core roles with minimal fuss.
Just like that, a weight was lifted. When he started again in Cardiff last week, Taylor played a leading role in a dominant set piece platform that culminated in two tries from close range.
“You can either walk away from it and try and bury yourself, or stand up and deal with it. I feel like that’s the approach I’ve taken and it’s paid off,” Taylor says.
“The great thing is I had awesome support from family to mental skills coaches, and our coaches backing me and working through some stuff has been a huge help. Having a different view on everything has led to me bringing a new lease of life and energy to help this team. That’s been more of a focus ever since the old Argie test but I’m just grateful to still be in the team and do my part.
“Cardiff is probably the best stadium to play at, one you really have to get up for, and the boys really did that. I owe Scott [Barrett] a beer because he pushed me over the line twice. I was proud of the forwards for rolling their sleeves up and getting stuck in.”
There is no doubt Taukei’aho’s powerhouse presence ushers in a new dynamic for the All Blacks hookers long dominated by the Dane Coles-Taylor one-two punch.
On this northern tour, the Taukei’aho-Taylor and TaylorTaukei’aho punch has replaced that aforementioned familiarity from the Horowhenua-Kapiti-raised hookers.
Foster and All Blacks forwards coach Jason Ryan have detailed their desire to develop contrasting options across the board, with their hooking rotation one example that will continue through the final two tests of the year against Scotland and England.
Having stared down adversity and proven his resilience, Taylor is relishing the internal challenge.
“First off, it’s been pretty tough with Colesy getting a niggle and having to go home. It’s not great, he loves this team so much. Samisoni has come in, and the way he has approached it, he’s a pretty relaxed guy, but when he gets out there, he never takes a backwards step. He’s a physical man, hard to put down, and we’ve seen that this year around his ball carry and ability to impose himself.
“It’s a different dynamic. I probably don’t do as much damage with ball in hand but hopefully I can do my part in other areas. It’s good to see him go so well and it’s also good for us as a team because it makes positions so competitive.”
While Taukei’aho’s arrival is notable, Ryan assuming charge of the forwards has proven transformational.
A pack exposed in successive defeats to Ireland and France at this stage last year and in the home series loss to the Irish in July has vastly improved their lineout, maul, scrum and breakdown.
“He’s a world-class coach,” Taylor says of his former six-year Crusaders mentor. “The beauty of Jase is he’s always willing to learn. He’s not afraid to take things from other teams to benefit us. He’s always been like that, even at Super Rugby. He’s slotted in nicely. He holds us forwards accountable for everything we do. He’s not afraid to call us out, whether you know him, like myself, or you’re from another franchise. He just wants this team to get better.
“It’s a dark art, everything to do with the forwards. This squad is a bit different. We’ve got some young guys putting their hands up, which is awesome for the whole team.”