All Blacks captain Codie Taylor gives verdict on former skipper Scott Barrett

New Zealand will look to defend home soil on Saturday at Eden Park, where the Wallabies have not won since 1986.

Newly named All Blacks captain Codie Taylor sees an opportunity for the team to redeem itself from the missteps in South Africa.

“There was plenty out there, plenty of opportunities that were probably left out there,” Taylor said after this week’s Captain’s Run.

“So this next couple weeks is about righting those wrongs I suppose, and getting results because at the end of the day that’s what we want as All Blacks.”

For the All Blacks boss, the match holds extra significance. Saturday will be Dave Rennie’s first test against the Wallabies since they sacked him in 2023.

Injuries to the All Blacks, most notably the absence of Richie Mo’unga, have resulted in major changes to the lineup.

With Ruben Love already ruled out for the rest of the year Mo’unga was the presumptive starter at fly-half, until a calf injury sidelined him.

With Mo’unga out there was speculation Beauden Barrett could make his return to the 10 spot or even that uncapped Josh Jacomb could make his anticipated debut, but ultimately Damian McKenzie was named the starter at fly-half.

Taylor praised McKenzie’s seamless return to the position. “I suppose he’s never left in a way, he’s a world-class player and he’s put his hand up wherever he’s been put,” Taylor said.

Barrett will instead make his return to the All Blacks at fullback. The veteran will collect his 146th test cap for the squad on Saturday, putting him just seven behind All Blacks record holder Sam Whitelock.

Beauden’s brother Scott is also returning to the lineup, locking alongside Josh Lord. He will be making his first appearance for New Zealand since November 2025 after dealing with a back injury.

Taylor emphasized that while he will be wearing the captain’s armband, there is no tension between him and Scott, who previously captained the squad.

“It’s been awesome to have him back, just his calmness, his knowledge of the game,” Taylor said. “He’s a great man on and off the pitch.”

However, the Wallabies will be no pushover, coming off a victory over the Springboks side that gave the All Blacks so much trouble. The Australians are riding a five-test unbeaten streak, their first since 2017.

“I reckon they’ve probably got one of the best mauls in the [world] at the moment,” Taylor said.

“They’ve put a lot of teams under pressure. We’ve seen that in the last few games they’ve played, they’ve got some great variation of the line as well.”

Taylor also had high praise for head coach Les Kiss, who succeeded Joe Schmidt earlier this year.

“He’s a great coach, you can see the way he had the Reds playing when he was coaching them,” Taylor said.

“You can see that he’s really given them confidence to back their skill sets right across the board[...]we’re going to have to be really sound on defense to take away what they’re trying to create.”

The All Blacks and Wallabies kickoff from Eden Park on Saturday at 7:10P.M. NZST.