Humble centurion Codie Taylor praises All Black legends who've come before

The Levin native will become the 14th New Zealand Rugby player to reach the milestone when he trundles out onto the park in Buenos Aires in the second round of the Rugby Championship on Saturday night.

"I've played with most of them but also look up to all of them, they're all of legend status and to join them on that banner has been a journey, not always straightforward, but it's a huge honour," the 34-year-old told the press this week.

"That team was one of the, if not the, greatest All Blacks team that ever was with the amount of legends. They showed what it meant to be [an All Black] and hopefully we're still living those standards."

Taylor international career actually started against Los Pumas in a Rugby Championship encounter in Christchurch back in 2015. On that day, he come on as a replacement for Kevin Mealamu, the only other New Zealand hooker to reach 100 caps.

"It's been a journey, I'm blessed and very grateful," added the Crusaders stalwart, whose collected 22 international tries along the way.

"It was always a dream as a kid to wear the jersey. To fulfil that with one Test, let alone what's about to happen this weekend, I never would have thought of that."

The achievement has also drawn the praise of coach Scott Robinson.

"Codie's a special man, a champion off the field," said the All Black boss.

"He's got a great story, born and bred in Horowhenua Kapiti, in the footsteps of Dane Coles. They've got a nice little combination, and he's the second hooker to reach the 100 milestone.

"He's resilient, he's tough, he's skilful, and he's an athletic rugby player. But, more importantly, he's a great man in the environment and a proud All Black."