All Blacks hooker Codie Taylor has praised his fellow front-rowers following New Zealand's narrow victory over Scotland on Sunday.
The visitors were under the pump late in the Test match and had to secure their own scrum in the dying moments to close the game out, without the likes of regular starters Joe Moody and Owen Franks, who are both injured.
Taylor believes the performances of Kane Hames and Nepo Laulala, who have since stepped in the roles, are reflective of the work they do in the lead-up to the Test matches with scrum coach Mike Cron.
"We talked about it just in the changing sheds earlier with Crono, how as an All Black front row we've had to adapt all year given the circumstances, having some players that haven't been in the team that are injured.
"We've got a couple of young boys that have been brought in, and all the work we've been doing on training is actually paying off. [In] those key moments, the boys are really stepping up and performing well.
"We've had a couple of other boys get chance against the French XV and the BaaBaas. They've all done the job, and that's on the back of all the work that we've been doing on Tuesdays.
"We run a wee front row thing, and I think that's just a little cream on the top to get us over the line sometimes."
The 26-year-old was one of three try-scorers in the win over the Scots, but played down his own involvement, instead crediting his teammates.
"Yeah, just a meat pie hanging out on the edge, just doing my job hanging out there, and Rieko threw hell of a long ball, and my job was just to fall over the line pretty much.
"Always happy to score tries though."
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