Wikipedia

Codie Taylor

Codie Joshua Dane Taylor (born 31 March 1991) is a New Zealand professional rugby union player, who currently plays as a hooker for the Crusaders in Super Rugby and is contracted to Canterbury for New Zealand's domestic National Provincial Championship competition.[1] He represents New Zealand internationally.[2]

Codie Taylor
Taylor representing New Zealand during the Rugby Championship
Full nameCodie Joshua Dane Taylor
Date of birth (1991-03-31) 31 March 1991 (age 33)
Place of birthLevin, New Zealand
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight108 kg (238 lb; 17 st 0 lb)
SchoolFeilding High School
Notable relative(s)Walter Pringle (great-great-grandfather)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Hooker
Current team Canterbury, Crusaders
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2012– Canterbury 24 (35)
2013– Crusaders 133 (220)
Correct as of 5 November 2024
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2011 New Zealand U20 5 (0)
2014 Māori All Blacks 2 (5)
2015– New Zealand 94 (105)
Correct as of 5 November 2024
Medal record
Men's Rugby union
Representing  New Zealand
Rugby World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2015 England Squad
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Japan Squad
Silver medal – second place 2023 France Squad

Club career

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Taylor played his 50th game for the Crusaders during the 2017 Super Rugby season and earned a start against the touring British & Irish Lions on 10 June 2017. The Crusaders' fixture against the Lions was a low-scoring 12–3 loss for the Crusaders, with Taylor being subbed off in the 50th minute. Taylor's incredible performances throughout the Super Rugby season saw him start in all three of the knockout rounds of the competition, where he made a big impact. Taylor scored one of only two tries in the quarter-final, as the Crusaders beat the Highlanders 17–0 at home in Christchurch. Taylor performed well in the 2017 Super Rugby Final, on 5 August 2017, with the Crusaders beating the Johannesburg-based Lions 25–17 to claim their eighth Super Rugby title.

International career

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2011–2015

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Taylor was part of the Junior All Blacks team which won the 2011 IRB Junior World Championship.[3][4]

Of Ngāti Raukawa and Muaūpoko descent, Taylor played for the Māori All Blacks in 2014.[5]

Taylor was selected for the All Blacks 2015 Squad, having surpassed Ben Funnell as the Crusaders' first-choice hooker during the 2015 Super Rugby season.[6] His first game for the All Blacks was the opening match of the 2015 Rugby Championship against Argentina, when he came off the bench in the 59th minute to replace the now-retired veteran Keven Mealamu. He scored a try on debut, in the 71st minute, after the All Blacks won a scrum close to the Argentine line.[7]

Taylor was named in the All Blacks 31-man squad to go to the Rugby World Cup 2015 in England. Taylor only made one appearance in the competition during the pool stages, which was New Zealand and Namibia's first international fixture. Taylor lasted the whole 80 minutes against Namibia and was not replaced by Mealamu, ending the test by scoring a try in the 79th minute. First-five Beauden Barrett converted Taylor's try to make the final score 58–14.

2016–2019

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Taylor surpassed the injury-plagued Nathan Harris as regular back-up to the All Blacks' starting hooker Dane Coles off the bench in 2016, following Keven Mealamu's retirement after the 2015 Rugby World Cup's conclusion. Taylor also notably earned a start against Australia in the first match of the 2016 Rugby Championship, but was unfortunately subbed off after three minutes of play for a head injury assessment and was replaced by Coles. Taylor did not return to the field that match and James Parsons was temporarily re-called to the All Blacks during Taylor's recovery from injury.

Taylor had notable involvement in the 57–15 win against South Africa in Durban on 6 October 2016, scoring a try off a driving maul and also receiving a yellow card long after the full-time had passed, following a head-high tackle on Springboks fullback Patrick Lambie. Taylor also earned another start for the All Blacks later that year in the 68–10 victory over Italy, making his way for debutant Liam Coltman in the 66th minute.

In 2017, also had a huge workload for the All Blacks. Taylor stepped up to the role of being a regular starter for the All Blacks following Dane Coles' 5 months out with a concussion. This saw Taylor starting in all three historic tests against the British & Irish Lions, where Taylor scored the first try of the series after being set up to score, by Crusaders team-mate, winger Israel Dagg, with Taylor's try enabling the All Blacks to win the first test 30–15.[8] The All Blacks unfortunately failed to win against the Lions, in the next two tests in the series, with the two teams drawing the series. Taylor kept the starting role at Hooker until Coles returned to international rugby on 26 August 2017, which was a 35–29 win, against Australia, that Taylor took part in off the bench.

After Coles was injured again, against France on the end-of-year tour, Taylor started twice more in 2017, starting in wins against Scotland and Wales. Taylor ended the 2017 season as New Zealand's clear first-choice hooker and was the only player in the All Blacks squad that played in every single test of 2017, seven as a starter and seven as a substitute for Coles off the bench. Taylor's opening try against Scotland on 18 November 2017, a 22–17 win over Scotland, also saw him finish the year as the All Blacks' highest try scorer of the forward pack, with four tries in the 2017 season.

Taylor earned the award for Man of the Match against France on 9 June 2018, after what was arguably the best individual performance in Taylor's whole career saw him score a try in the 52nd minute and also set up outside backs Rieko Ioane, Damian McKenzie and Ben Smith for tries, with the latter of them scoring his 30th test try off Taylor's pass. Taylor's outstanding 63-minute performance saw him earn mass acclaim from media and saw the All Blacks beat France 52–11 to open their 2018 season.[9] Taylor backed up his performance in the first test against France by starting in the next two tests against France as well, with the All Blacks winning the series 3–0.

Taylor went into the 2018 Rugby Championship in excellent form, having won another Super Rugby title with the Crusaders prior to the competition. Although the Crusaders managed to beat South Africa's Lions for the second year in a row in the Super Rugby Final, such an effort was not replicated internationally. Taylor was one of the few All Blacks to shine in round four of the Rugby Championship, with the All Blacks suffering a shock 34–36 loss to South Africa. Taylor exploited the slow speed of Frans Malherbe and his opposite, Malcolm Marx, to set up Aaron Smith's try and also scored one for himself in the 60th minute. Taylor's performance was not enough to spark a late comeback however, with Beauden Barrett performing poorly in goal-kicking, as opposed to Man-of-the-Match Handre Pollard. Although visibly fatigued from a huge workload, Taylor was retained in the starting lineup for the second test against South Africa, which was a late 32–30 win thanks to an Ardie Savea try. Taylor's great performance saw the All Blacks win the Rugby Championship once again.[10]

With New Zealand's ranking as the best rugby team in the world on the line during the 2018 end-of-year tour, Head Coach, Steve Hansen, opted to keep Taylor as the first-choice hooker, despite the ageing Dane Coles coming back from a long injury-enforced break.

Having started in every single test during 2018, Taylor was rested for 3 November Japan test. Taylor was then predictably named in the starting lineup for the Hillary Shield test against England, which was a narrow 16–15 win over England, an opponent that the All Blacks had not played since 2014. Having defeated England, the All Blacks played against Ireland the next week of the tour, on 17 November 2018. Ireland, ranked second in the world, went into half time ahead of the All Blacks however and Taylor was replaced by Dane Coles in the 46th minute of the test. The All Blacks went on to lose to Ireland, who are set to top the world rankings in 2019.[11]

After a long season in 2018, Taylor was named the Tom French Memorial Māori Player of the Year at the New Zealand Rugby Awards. Taylor was also nominated for the Kelvin R Tremain Memorial Player of the Year trophy, awarded to the best New Zealand rugby player, but lost out on the award to Black Ferns Sevens' halfback, Kendra Cocksedge.[12]

Following the 2019 Super Rugby season, Taylor played in four of New Zealand's warm-up tests prior to the World Cup, including their record 26-47 defeat at the hands of Australia during the 2019 Rugby Championship.

All Blacks Head Coach, Steve Hansen named Taylor in New Zealand's 31-man squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup on 28 August 2019, with the competition set to be Taylor's second World Cup.[13]

Taylor played five tests at the World Cup and went on to start in the quarter-final against Ireland. Taylor scored a try in the 46-14 win, which saw New Zealand progress to the semi-finals. The semi-final saw Taylor, as well as England number 8, Billy Vunipola, play their 50th test. Despite praise from fellow All Black Dane Coles, prior to the test, Taylor performed poorly against England, who beat New Zealand and eliminated them from the competition.[14] New Zealand lost to England 7-19.[15]

2020–present

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On the 13th of November 2022 against Scotland Taylor led the Ka Mate version of the Haka for his first time.

Personal life

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Taylor is the great-great-grandson of All Blacks player Walter Pringle.[16]

Having grown up in Feilding and Levin before moving to Christchurch,[4] he was a member of the Crusaders Wider Training Squad for the 2012 Super Rugby season and he has subsequently been promoted to the senior squad for the 2013 season, before making his international debut in 2015.[17][18]

Taylor was the winner of Tom French Cup in 2018. He was also a nominee for the New Zealand Rugby Player of the Year in 2018.[19][20]

Taylor is a New Zealander of Māori descent (Muaūpoko, Ngati Raukawa and Ngati Toa descent) and in 2015 he discovered that he is a direct descendant of the creators of Ka Mate, the All-Blacks' famous haka[21]

Career statistics

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List of international tries

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Try Date Venue Opponent Result Competition
1 17 July 2015 AMI Stadium, Christchurch, New Zealand Argentina 39–18 (won) 2015 Rugby Championship
2 24 September 2015 Olympic Stadium, London, England Namibia 58–14 (won) 2015 Rugby World Cup
3 8 October 2016 Kings Park Stadium, Durban, South Africa South Africa 57–15 (won) 2016 Rugby Championship
4 16 June 2017 Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand Samoa 78–0 (won) 2017 mid-year-internationals
5 24 June 2017 Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand British & Irish Lions 30–15 (won) 2017 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand
6 16 September 2017 North Harbour Stadium, Albany, New Zealand South Africa 57–0 (won) 2017 Rugby Championship
7 18 November 2017 Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland Scotland 22–17 (won) 2017 end-of-year internationals
8 9 June 2018 Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand France 52–11 (won) 2018 mid-year internationals
9 15 September 2018 Westpac Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand South Africa 34–36 (lost) 2018 Rugby Championship
10 7 September 2019 FMG Stadium, Hamilton, New Zealand Tonga 92-7 (won) 2019 Rugby World Cup warm-up matches
11 19 October 2019 Yokohama Stadium, Yokohama, Japan Ireland 46-14 (won) 2019 Rugby World Cup
12 7 November 2020 Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia Australia 22-24 (lost) 2020 Tri Nations Series
13-14 14 August 2021 Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand Australia 57-22 (won) 2021 Rugby Championship
15 13 November 2021 Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland Ireland 20-29 (lost) 2021 end-of-year internationals
16 24 September 2022 Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand Australia 40-14 (won) 2022 Rugby Championship
17-18 5 November 2022 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales Wales 55-23 (won) 2022 end-of-year internationals
19 19 November 2022 Twickenham Stadium, London, England England 25-25 (draw) 2022 end-of-year internationals
20 29 July 2023 Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia Australia 38-7 (won) 2023 Rugby Championship
21 31 August 2024 Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa South Africa 27–31 (lost) 2024 Rugby Championship

Updated: 5 November 2024 Source: [1]

Honours

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International

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Super Rugby

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References

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  1. ^ "Scott Barrett and Codie Taylor locked in until 2027". Crusaders (Press release). 6 June 2024. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  2. ^ "Codie Taylor All Blacks profile". allblacks.com. 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  3. ^ "Codie Taylor IRB JWC Profile". It.irb.com. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
  4. ^ a b Strang, Ben (30 June 2011). "Taylor made for NZU20s". Horowhenua Mail. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  5. ^ "2014 Maori All Blacks squad named". allblacks.com (Press release). 21 October 2014. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  6. ^ "All Blacks squad named for Samoa, Investec Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Test". Allblacks.com. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  7. ^ "Video: All Blacks power past Argentina 39 18 Rugby Championship | Sport | 3 News". Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  8. ^ "New Zealand and Rieko Ioane run away with first test against Lions". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  9. ^ "Opinion: All Blacks vs France player ratings". Newshub. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  10. ^ "Player ratings from All Blacks' miracle comeback win over South Africa". The New Zealand Herald. 6 October 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  11. ^ Tracey, Cian (17 November 2018). "Five talking points from Ireland's phenomenal win over the mighty All Blacks". Independent.ie. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  12. ^ van Royen, Robert (14 December 2018). "Black Fern Kendra Cocksedge the first woman to win NZ Rugby's top player award". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  13. ^ "All Blacks squad named for Rugby World Cup 2019". allblacks.com. 28 August 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  14. ^ "Dane Coles praises Codie Taylor ahead of 50 cap test". teaomaori.news. 25 October 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  15. ^ "Stunner... England dethrone New Zealand with one of their greatest-ever displays". rugbypass.com. 26 October 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  16. ^ Knowler, Richard (21 June 2015). "Crusader Codie Taylor hooks All Blacks' spot". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  17. ^ "2013 Investec Super Rugby Crusaders squad announced". Crusaders.co.nz. Retrieved 2 November 2012.[permanent dead link‍]
  18. ^ "Codie Taylor Crusaders Player Profile". Crusaders.co.nz. Archived from the original on 7 February 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  19. ^ "Rugby: All Blacks dominate top 50 list, snubbed for top spot". Nzherald.co.nz. 8 December 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  20. ^ "Codie Taylor shades Ardie Savea as the standout All Black for 2018". Stuff.co.nz. 30 November 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  21. ^ "Codie Taylor inks his identity as an All Black after uncovering his haka history". Stuff. 25 September 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
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Awards
Preceded by Tom French Memorial
Māori rugby union player of the year
2018 		Succeeded by
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