Loyal stalwart's last goal

By LINDSAY KNIGHT

Glenn Taylor will end his 14-year career in New Zealand representative rugby tomorrow with only one thought in mind.

That's a victory for Northland over Hawkes Bay in the promotion-relegation match at Napier, preserving the first-division status held since 1998.

A Northland defeat, of course, would be the most inappropriate end to Taylor's playing days, for as the lock and captain of his side he has been one of the stalwarts of the New Zealand provincial game.

And it is something that Taylor, who has been to Northland what Todd Blackadder used to be to Canterbury, more than anyone else is not even contemplating.

"We're not even going down that track," Taylor said yesterday, when asked whether it would be especially gutting to bow out on a losing note.

But the Taniwha's higher standard of rugby all season seems to be the side's only advantage. Hawkes Bay are unbeaten; Taylor's side are on the brink of a 10-match losing streak.

And not only do Northland have to travel to Napier, but they have also not had a proper match for three weeks.

Taylor, though, does not see that as too great a disadvantage.

"We've been training very hard and we've had a good hit-up with our Development XV. The guys are really hungry and desperate to salvage something from our season."

Taylor has no doubts that Northland have been a much better side than what has been seen for much of the season, although he is unsure exactly why the results have been so disappointing.

"We've had too many poor defensive lapses and let in too many soft tries. In this competition it's vital to get wins early, especially for sides like us.

"We had a great opportunity to roll Canterbury and just missed out. Who knows what sort of confidence we would have got had we won that. Actually I think we turned a bit of corner in our last game against Wellington, and there were some good signs there."

Though it has been at some cost to his own aspirations, Taylor has no regrets that all his representative rugby has been with Northland.

His loyalty has meant his career has been a rollercoaster ride, and he already knows what it is like to suffer relegation.

Northland dropped back to second division after the 1992 season and stayed there for five years.

And being from Northland has meant an erratic record at Super 12 level. Since 1996 he has chopped and changed between the Chiefs, the Blues and the Hurricanes.

But unlike two other outstanding locks produced in Northland, Ian Jones and Norm Maxwell, Taylor was never tempted to move.

"There were plenty of opportunities for me to go elsewhere," he said."But I'm happy with what I've been able to achieve staying with Northland.

"It was never much of a problem moving for the Super 12 because that was going to happen no matter who I was with."

A builder by trade, Taylor preferred to raise his family in his much-loved Northland lifestyle. He also has his future planned and will work as a contractor with a special Machine designed to trim the shelter belts of orchards.

Taylor had only a brief stint in the All Blacks: one match as a replacement in Australia in 1992 and then on the tour of South Africa, where he played in four of the midweek games and took the field for the last half hour of the final test for an injured Jones.

"I was just happy to be an All Black and even one game would have been enough for me."

Glenn Taylor

Age: 33

Height: 2.0m Weight: 120kg

Position: Lock

NPC: Northland side, 1990-2003 (150 games)

Super 12: Chiefs (1996-97, 2000, 2003), Hurricanes (1998), Blues (1999, 2001-2002) (63 games).

NZ colts, 1991, NZ Divisional XV (1993, 1995-96), NZ Development XV (to Argentina, 1994), NZ A (captain on 2000 tour of Europe).

All Black 1992, 1996 (six matches including one test).

Highlight: "Undoubtedly going on the tour of South Africa in 1996 and getting on to the field for the last test."