Taylor backs Savea to reclaim All Blacks captaincy after planned rest

Codie Taylor says Ardie Savea remains the rightful All Blacks captain and will take back the role when he joins New Zealand’s squad in South Africa, despite Taylor leading the team during the opening stages of the Greatest Rivalry tour.

The veteran hooker has assumed the captaincy while Savea completes a planned rest period, but he played down any suggestion that the leadership change represented a permanent shift. Speaking at a welcoming event for New Zealand in Cape Town on Friday, Taylor stressed that he was only filling in for the absent captain.

“I’m just taking that role on while Ardie isn’t here. It’s a huge privilege to lead a group of men like we have. And when Ardie gets back, he’ll have that belt again, and rightly so,” Taylor said.

Taylor also backed coach Dave Rennie’s decision to give Savea time away from the team. The All Blacks captain has played a significant amount of rugby during the past 18 months, and Taylor said the break was justified with a demanding period ahead for New Zealand.

“Ardie’s been playing a lot of rugby over the last 18 months or so, so he deserves a break. We’ve got a massive calendar leading up that we’re working into this year.”

Savea’s absence comes before what Taylor described as one of the most difficult possible starts to the All Blacks’ campaign. New Zealand are preparing for a gruelling Greatest Rivalry series against the world’s number one side, the Springboks, in South Africa.

The prospect of facing South Africa on home soil made the decision to rest Savea even more important from Taylor’s perspective. Rather than questioning the timing, the stand-in skipper said Savea should be allowed to recover before returning to the touring group.

“I don’t think it starts any harder than coming to play South Africa. So he deserves his break,” Taylor noted.

Savea is expected to link up with the All Blacks approximately 10 days before their first Test against the Springboks at Ellis Park on 22 August.

Until then, Taylor will continue to lead the side during the early part of the Greatest Rivalry tour. He described the responsibility of captaining the All Blacks as a major privilege, while making clear that the leadership “belt” belongs to Savea and will be returned to him when he rejoins the squad.

The decision to rest Savea has therefore been presented as a planned break rather than a change in the team’s hierarchy. Taylor’s comments underline that the All Blacks continue to regard Savea as their captain, with his temporary replacement expected to hand over the role before the first Test in Johannesburg.