Codie Taylor back in action following head knock. Video / allblacks.com
All Blacks hooker Codie Taylor has opened up about not being with his family while he competes in Australia and paid tribute to his wife who's been left to take care of the kids at home.
All Blacks players and staff, like many other teams and athletes competing on the world stage amid the global pandemic, have been forced to leave their families behind as they compete in the Rugby Championship followed by an extended Northern tour, with the last game of the year against France in late November.
For Taylor, it's meant being apart from his wife Lucy and two children Ayla-May and Luca, which he admitted hasn't been easy.
"I think they're having a bit of fun without me. I hear they sometimes say my name," Taylor joked when asked by the media about being separated from his two kids at home.
"But nah they're real good. It's mum I worry about at times. Every phone call is different. Sometimes you want to talk to her for a long time and sometimes you don't because it seems like things are about to explode.
"I take my hat off to all the partners, my wife especially, doing it at home by themselves. It's just part of the reality for us at the moment but very grateful for a special wife."
Codie Taylor with his family after playing his 100th game for the Crusaders. Photo / Photosport
Family life has also impacted many of Taylor's teammates, with Sam Whitelock, Aaron Smith and Richie Mo'unga all missing parts of the Rugby Championship due to the birth of their babies.
Whitelock, who welcomed his third child to the world with wife Hannah this month, was set to leave Auckland last Saturday, hoping to return for the All Blacks against the Springboks in the Gold Coast on October 2, but a spot in quarantine in Queensland wasn't available until Tuesday.
That means he was not left with enough time following the two weeks quarantine to prepare for the clash, and instead stayed in New Zealand with his family and will rejoin the All Blacks squad for the northern hemisphere tour.
The All Blacks will be boosted by the return of Mo'unga however, who will travel to Queensland and quarantine from Tuesday, with the All Blacks judging that the first-five needed less time to reach match fitness than tight-forward Whitelock.
Mo'unga and wife Sophie recently welcomed their second child, a baby boy, into the world.
Brodie Retallick said the situation with Whitelock was "unfortunate", but was happy his teammate could spend more time with family.
"It's the world we're living in at the moment with things changing all the time. I know people have been working hard behind the scenes to get him here and it hasn't worked out," he said.
"It's unfortunate for Sam, as he was looking forward to getting over here, but at the same time he gets to spend some more time with his baby, which I'm sure he'll enjoy before heading up to Europe."
Fellow lock Scott Barrett said the All Blacks are learning to deal with the uncertainty and hurdles brought about by the pandemic.
"I think our support team, our medical team keeps us informed about what we need to know," he said. "The boys probably learnt from last year that you waste your time and energy thinking about stuff that you can't really control. It can frustrate you and it can be basically a waste of energy. This group is pretty good at trusting the advice that we're getting and the plan that the medicos are putting in front of us."
