Codie Taylor: All Blacks hooker ahead of the Eden Park clash against South Africa

No surprise from All Blacks hooker Codie Taylor at the competitiveness of the Rugby Championship. 

All four countries enter the third round fixtures tomorrow with a one win, one loss record. 

Taylor told Mike Hosking it's a continuation of what occurred in 2024, with a loss to Argentina and South Africa both. 

He says it’s always close, which is what you want with test footy, but the All Blacks need to be better. 

“That’s what we’re striving to be.” 

LISTEN ABOVE  

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
As far as hype goes, Timmy Cady after it. By
the way, speaking of hype, as far as hype goes tomorrow,
no shortage of noise around it. All Blacks of the
South Africa. Both sides have lost, but the Eden Park things.
That's a thing, so all to play for, as they say.
Cody Taylor, Great Ken Tabri and an all Black hooker
is back with us. Good morning, morning man.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
How's it going all right?

Speaker 1 (00:18):
Well, now listen, before we get to the weekend, just
talk me through Argentina a little bit. This two week on,
two week off thing. Does that work for you?

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Ah? Oh, it makes it so. It's good for the body.
And as you're playing two big tests and then you
sort of have a week off and then I get
stuck into another two tests. But it's been like that
for a week while now, so yeah, it's not too bad.

Speaker 1 (00:41):
And how much time we spent on what happened in Argentina?
And when did you move past that and focus on
this week?

Speaker 2 (00:46):
Oh, we got together on Sunday. It was obviously a
long week at home for everyone on the back of
a pretty tough loss. And yeah, we had a good
look in the mirror and covered everything on Sunday and
then obviously looking forward to Monday and the week that is,
because this is a big one.

Speaker 1 (01:05):
Too, it is do you guys, by the way, do
you break up in between? Go back home?

Speaker 2 (01:09):
Yeah? Yeah, so this is a long, long six days
at home and what do you do? Ah, Well, personally,
just you're back with the family and be present there
and so tip away and training and then yeah, just
do what I need to to come in ready to
go again for another couple of weeks.

Speaker 1 (01:31):
And what have you got on this Australia South Africa thing?
I mean, have you personally followed that closely? And what
do you make of what happened there?

Speaker 2 (01:37):
Yeah? We were and Argie watching those games is in
a good time. I think. You know, Australia really played well.
You know they're a well got galvanized team on the
back of a lion series and you could see that
in the first Test in South Africa and they went
close again in the second. South Africa fixed a few
things obviously got the result, but just goes to show that,

(02:01):
you know, this competition is pretty tight.

Speaker 1 (02:03):
And is it tighter than you thought? You can see
if I'd asked you out to know, four weeks ago
before the whole comp began, would you have thought, you know, something.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
Different personally, No, I think you know, we lost the
Ard last year, you know, a couple played ozziec and
then we lost to South Africa last year too, So
it's always close and that's the way you wanted us
as a Test footy but as all blacks, we need
to be better and that's what we're struggling to be see.

Speaker 1 (02:31):
I can't see. That's what I can't work out whether
Australia is significantly better than we thought or South Africa
is off the pace of it.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
I think South Africa is still a great team. You know,
they really have their own identity of how they want
to play and they've been playing like that for the
last four plus years. You're just going to be able
to stop it. And they've got a bit of innovation.
And in Australia, you know, on the back of you know,
they've got some good coaching over there and they've got
great talent I think, and we're seeing them play well

(03:00):
on the Test arena.

Speaker 1 (03:01):
So yeah, So how much of this weekend for you
guys is about you know, going about your business versus
a little bit of the old. You know, they added
something given the record so far the season and the
South Africans and the s Eden Park record.

Speaker 2 (03:14):
Yeah, there's there's everything on the line really this week.
You know, we're well aware of eating Park and and
we're well aware of the South Africa's aspirations to probably
do a job there. So yeah, this is what it's
all about. As an all back, this is where you
want to be. You know, either walk towards that pressure

(03:36):
or you don't. So it's been a really good week
so far, and yeah, looking forward to getting into it.

Speaker 1 (03:43):
How do you handle pressure? It's a pressure a thing
for you.

Speaker 2 (03:45):
It is I think everyone anyone will be lying if
they said they didn't feel it in the game. I
think you know we've It's something that you've got to
deal with and you've got to you got to make
a choice with her. You sort of step to it
or you don't. And it really is only one choice
in test footy because if you don't step up, then
you get found out.

Speaker 1 (04:04):
And what do you expect of the South Africans, I mean,
what have you talked about this week? What do they bring?

Speaker 2 (04:10):
I think, well, they know the way they want to
play their physical men. When they get down in your health,
they're going to try and beat ya, and then they
use their set piece to build a good platform for
their backs that can also play. They've got some great
skilled players in their team and they've got a lot
of variations, so they're a tough team to preview. But
atin the day it's just about physicality and turning up.

Speaker 1 (04:32):
What about the Rainfilly shield, by the way, you're given
that and you thought you wish you were there.

Speaker 2 (04:37):
There's been a bit of chat about that Ethan de grit.
It's been pretty pretty tough for the tests out this
week and right they say with the Southern boys and
there's build a band to now with the Canterbury lads
getting the cracks, So yeah, going for them, that's see.

Speaker 1 (04:54):
I think Canterbury will win and hold it obviously. The
only question is how many years will they hold it.

Speaker 2 (05:01):
Well, So it's a tough thing to hold. We had
Michael Jones in here this week earlier this week and
he was a part of the ten that held us
for sixty one games or something, which is something that
will never be broken.

Speaker 1 (05:12):
Yeah, what weather, What about the weather's bother you? They say,
I think they're saying it's raining tomorrow morning, but it'll
be fine by night. Does any of that matter?

Speaker 2 (05:21):
No, I don't think so. When either way, when will dry,
it's going to be about rolling his flees up and
getting into it.

Speaker 1 (05:29):
We'll go well with it. Cody Taylor All Black with
us this morning.

Speaker 2 (05:32):
For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to
news talks it'd be from six am weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio