Share

Taylor backs Whitelock to shine as All Blacks captain

Cape Town - All Blacks hooker Codie Taylor is in no doubt the side will be well led in their end-of-year Test against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday. 

With captain Kieran Read suffering a back injury on Thursday, and unable to play, the leadership of the side will be taken by Taylor's Crusaders captain Sam Whitelock who led the side to Super Rugby success this year. 

Taylor said he thought Whitelock would fit into the captaincy role seamlessly. 

"He likes to take control, be real direct with his information he shares on the field and [he] just focuses on a task-by-task attitude when we are out there," he told the All Blacks' official website.

"He had a pretty good campaign with Super [Rugby] so it will be good to see him go good on Saturday night. 

It seemed to be a quality the Whitelock brothers had, they liked to be captains and were good at it, Taylor said. 

"It's in his blood," he added. 

"I think he's really excited by it. I know it was one of his goals to captain the All Blacks and for him to run out there on Saturday he'll be pretty pumped and ready to get stuck in." 

It was the same with younger brother Luke, fitting in at number eight. It would be as if nothing had changed as he was organising the lineout in attack and defence and Sam would help him out.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1472 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2251 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE