Publications
Partners
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.
