All Blacks hooker Codie Taylor has revealed he would've felt uncomfortable preparing for last weekend's Rugby Championship test against Argentina after suffering a head injury.
The hooker failed a Head Injury Assessment (HIA )in the third Bledisloe Cup test earlier this month, but was subsequently still cleared to play the following game.
Although the Crusaders hooker has declared himself good to go to face Argentina on Saturday in Brisbane, he's grateful he first had to pass another set of strict protocols leading into last weekend's test against the Pumas.
"If I'm being 100 percent honest, I wouldn't have been absolutely right heading into the week of prep," Taylor admits.
Despite passing all necessary tests administered by an independent doctor before the team was named, the All Blacks hooker sat out the 39-0 win over Argentina.
"It's very thorough," Taylor says of the tests. "It's pretty hard, it's like going back to uni or something.
"But if those protocols weren't in place, you're probably jumping straight into the first training and putting yourself at risk even more so. It's the most important of a human, I guess, the brain."
It means Taylor's able to attack this week with confidence he's back to full health.
Watch the full story above
Join Newshub for live updates of the All Blacks v Argentina from 10pm Saturday
