Legendary All Black Sir Colin Meads dies aged 81.

[Swami]

Sir Colin Meads: All Blacks legend dies of cancer, aged 81

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A statue of Sir Colin Meads was unveiled in his home town of Te Kuiti in June 2017
All Blacks great Sir Colin Meads, who was named New Zealand's best rugby player of the 20th Century, has died of pancreatic cancer, aged 81.

The former second row played 55 Tests within 133 games for the All Blacks between 1957 and 1971.

He was diagnosed with cancer in 2016 and his wife Verna had told local media on Saturday that he was seriously ill.


"This is a sad day for New Zealand rugby and for New Zealand," said the country's Prime Minister Bill English.

"I have had the privilege of getting to know Sir Colin. He was not only a great All Black but also a genuinely good New Zealand bloke.

"He represented what it means to be a New Zealander. He was no-nonsense, reliable, hardworking, warm and very generous with his time."



Statue should be holding a pint of beer - Meads
Meads, nicknamed Pinetree, was knighted in 2009 as recognition of his achievements as a rugby player with the All Blacks and for his charitable work. He was given a statue in his home town, Te Kuiti, in June 2017.

"I remember when I was younger hearing stories about how he used to shear sheep all day and go running at night," English added.

"I thought I'd give it a go. I quickly learned the Meads legend was built on physical and mental toughness.

"My thoughts are with Sir Colin's wife Lady Verna, and his family and friends at this time."

Swami

 

[Swami]

Very sad news from New Zealand this morning, Colin Meads was a true icon of world rugby.

He will be greatly missed.

Swami

 

[Swami]

Colin Meads laid to rest in New Zealand
Updated / Monday, 28 Aug 2017 06:52
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The great Colin Meads

All Blacks great Colin Meads was a supremely competitive family man who was passionate about New Zealand rugby, yet would faint at the sight of blood and even learned to knit as a child, his brother Stan said in a eulogy to the former lock on Monday.

Meads, who in 1999 was named New Zealand's greatest rugby player of the 20th Century, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year and the former lock died in hospital in his home town of Te Kuiti on 20 August.

"Every fibre in his body was competitive," Stan Meads, a fellow All Blacks lock, told a funeral service in their home town on Monday. "Be it marbles or when we were kids and someone would say 'I'll race you to that tree there', it was on.

"He didn't believe in coming second. That wasn't part of Pinetree's makeup," he added, referring to his brother's nickname.

"He represented something very special about being a Kiwi."

The small town in the King Country in the centre of New Zealand's North Island came to a virtual standstill for the funeral, with politicians, former All Blacks and administrators flocking to pay their respects to Meads.

Several hundred mourners packed into the community's Les Munro centre, with a large marquee set up across the road to accommodate the overflow of roughly 3,000 people in attendance.

Prime Minister Bill English and leader of the main opposition Labour Party Jacinda Ardern temporarily suspended their campaigns for the Sept. 23 general election to attend.

English, who launched the ruling National Party's campaign in Auckland on Sunday, did not speak at the funeral but said he had attended to pay respects for what Meads had done for New Zealand.

"He represented something very special about being a Kiwi," English said in a statement before the service.

Meads' coffin arrived at the service in a hearse decorated with a specialised "Pine T" licence plate, a nod to the moniker he preferred to be known by even after he received a knighthood.

Stan Meads said that while his older brother had always been physically strong, tough mentally and ultra competitive from a young age, he would faint at the sight of blood.

"He recognised that if he wanted to go far in rugby then he better sort it out," he said to laughter from the crowd.

Their parents had tried to encourage them to read books as children, but he refused to do so, so their mother had taught Colin to knit to keep him occupied, he added.

"Yep, Pinetree used to knit. He knitted a jersey and a balaclava," he said, again to much laughter.

An emotional Brian Lochore, whose career was intertwined with Meads, said New Zealand had lost a champion for provincial rugby in the country.

"Yep, Pinetree used to knit. He knitted a jersey and a balaclava,"

The country's amateur provincial competition teams, made up of mostly rural provinces, play for the Meads and Lochore Cups.

"Nobody has done more for New Zealand rugby than Colin," said the fellow All Blacks great. "I've lost a friend. New Zealand has lost an icon.

"He was the player of the century and I don't think anyone would argue with that.

"He was incredibly strong and mobile for a man of his size. He was ahead of his time. No forward until that point had ever run as well as Pinetree. He would be great in the modern era."

While Meads was recognised for what he contributed to the All Blacks legacy and global rugby, speakers also touched on his community work and his devotion to his family. All five of his children and 12 of his 14 grandchildren attended the funeral.

"We have shared Dad with New Zealand and the rugby world," his youngest daughter Shelley Mitchell said.

"None more so than this week where we have seen the outpouring of love and tributes and that has helped us get through this week.

"After hearing all that, it has been an honour of sharing him with you... thank you for loving our Dad."

Swami