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CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – JULY 31: Codie Taylor during the All Blacks Welcome event at DHL Stadium on July 31, 2026 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Ashley Vlotman\/Gallo Images) <\/p>\n
SPOTLIGHT: All Blacks tour captain Codie Taylor believes referees will have a huge responsibility in determining the pace at which matches are played throughout the Greatest Rivalry series.<\/p>\n
His comments come after head coach Dave Rennie said they would provide feedback to officials following their clash against the Stormers in Cape Town last Friday.<\/p>\n
Rennie was asked about the pace of the match, and he said it\u2019s become a trend in World Rugby for teams to slow down play either through line-outs or set pieces in a tactical way.<\/p>\n
Leading up to Saturday\u2019s clash against the Bulls in Pretoria, assistant coach Tana Umaga echoed Rennie\u2019s sentiments, revealing that the All Blacks were \u2018frustrated\u2019 after the Sharks match and shared their desire to speed up the game.<\/p>\n
The slowing down of play, either through scrums, line-outs or injuries, has been a growing topic since the All Blacks arrived in South Africa.<\/p>\n
It will most definitely continue to gain traction with the first Test of the series against the Springboks looming on August 22.<\/p>\n
Codie Taylor shared his opinion on the hot topic, adding that the All Blacks will have to find ways to manage other teams\u2019 tactics.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re well aware that the game is a lot slower,\u201d he told Rugby365.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we do want to play fast; there\u2019s no hiding from that, and there\u2019s no hiding from the opposite either. It will probably fall back on the referees.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t want the game to be sped up if there\u2019s a genuine injury, but for the sake of rugby, you want it to be an entertaining game and play some footy and not slow it down.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we\u2019re doing the game justice as well; we\u2019re doing justice for our fans. That\u2019s the type of game we want to play, and we\u2019ll just have to manage that accordingly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Taylor will make his first appearance of the tour after recovering from a calf injury he sustained against Ireland in the Nations Championship.<\/p>\n
The 35-year-old is relishing facing a decent Bulls pack and expects Johan Ackermann\u2019s side to be physical.<\/p>\n
The story continues below\u2026<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
From a scrum point of view, Taylor admits the All Blacks are yet to find their mojo in that department but is optimistic they will be competitive in the first Test.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe still have a lot of work to do,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we are building nicely; I thought we built nicely in that Sharks game.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re under no illusion because South Africa is going to be another level. As All Blacks, we pride ourselves on our scrum too.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut South Africa have earned the right to probably be the most dominant scrum in the world at the moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve just got to keep chipping away and keep working on combinations, and we\u2019ll be alright once we get into the Tests.\u201d<\/p>\n
Taylor will form the All Blacks front row with Tyrel Lomax and Xavier Numia, and they\u2019ll come up against Francois Klopper, Juann Else, and Alu Tshakweni of the Bulls.<\/p>\n
The Bulls will also have the services of Springbok duo Elrigh Louw and Johan Grobbelaar after they were released from the Bok camp.<\/p>\n
Taylor believes the clash will be a real test for his side.<\/p>\n
\u201cSouth Africa have big boys upfront; they back their set piece, they back their kicking game, and when they get what they want, they can open you up.<\/p>\n
\u201cPhysically, it\u2019s going to be very demanding upfront in the scrum and maul. South Africa pride themselves on it from the national team to their club sides, so we\u2019ve got to turn up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trending <\/p>\n
Rassie sends Boks to bolster Bulls for All Blacks clash <\/p>\n
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