Changes guaranteed for Bok rematch as injuries mount for All Blacks

The All Blacks will be without hooker Codie Taylor for their rematch against South Africa next week in Wellington in round four of the Rugby Championship.

The centurion, 34, only managed 32 minutes of the 24-17 win over the Springboks at Eden Park before being forced from the field with a head injury following a collision with Pieter-Steph du Toit.

After failing his head injury assessment, All Blacks assistant coach Jason Ryan revealed on Sunday that the Crusaders star will undergo the minimum mandatory stand-down period.

“Codie will go through the protocols with a 12-day stand down, so he won’t be available,” he said.

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The hooker, who earned his 100th All Blacks cap in the defeat to Argentina in round two of the Championship, will be available for the Bledisloe Cup Tests against the Wallabies at Eden Park and Perth’s Optus Stadium in the final two rounds of the tournament, where both sides could be gunning for the title.

In order to put themselves in a strong position to win this year’s Championship, a victory in Wellington is needed next weekend, while simultaneously ending the Springboks’ hopes of defending their title.

More changes for the contest at the Sky Stadium are in the offing, however, with Ryan revealing that winger Emoni Narawa’s participation is “highly unlikely due to his ribs”.

The Chiefs wing, 26, only managed the opening seven minutes of the match before being replaced by Damian McKenzie. He did cross for the opening try of the match during his short stint on the pitch, scoring in fantastic fashion, which saw him beat Wille le Roux by sliding under the Springbok’s legs as he caught a cross-field kick, before selling a dummy to Cheslin Kolbe.

South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus is expected to name his team on Monday for the rematch, while Robertson will wait until later in the week.