Colin Meads

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Lore & Background

Colin Earl Meads was born to Vere Meads and Ida Meads (née Gray) on 3 June 1936, in the town of Cambridge in the Waikato region. He was raised on a sheep farm near Te Kūiti and credited the farming lifestyle for his strong physique and high level of fitness. His brother Stanley Meads also played for the All Blacks. Meads and his wife Verna had five children. He played his club rugby for Waitete R.F.C in Te Kūiti and his entire provincial career for King Country, playing 138 games for the province. He made his provincial debut for King Country in 1956 against Taranaki. In 1956 he was also selected for the New Zealand under 21 side which toured Ceylon. He was selected for the 1957 tour of Australia, making his test debut against the Wallabies. From 1957 until 1971 he was effectively an automatic pick for the All Blacks. He was named captain of the All Blacks 11 times, his first in a 23–9 victory over the Combined Services during the 1963–64 tour of Britain. His final test was the third test of the 1971 Lions series, which the All Blacks lost 13–3. He seriously injured his back in a Land Rover accident in 1972 and never played for the All Blacks again. He continued playing for King Country for the remainder of the 1972 season before retiring, amassing a total of 361 first class matches. After retiring as a player after the 1972 season, he became chairman of the King Country union, and later was elected to the national selection panel but was fired for acting as coach to the unauthorised New Zealand Cavaliers tour of apartheid South Africa. In 1992 he was elected to the New Zealand Rugby Union council and remained there for four years. In 1994 and 1995 he was All Blacks manager. He died on 20 August 2017 from pancreatic cancer.

In Their Own Story

In his final test match against the British & Irish Lions in 1971, Meads captained the All Blacks for the first time in a test fixture. The game ended in a 14–14 draw, handing the Lions a 2–1 series victory—their only series win over New Zealand at that time. Shortly after this match, a Land Rover accident seriously injured his back, ending his international career. His domestic legacy with King Country was equally formidable; he played 138 provincial games and accumulated 361 first-class matches in total, a record that stood for 42 years. He famously scored a try and even a drop-goal, an unusual feat for a lock, in his debut provincial game against Counties in 1955. Despite being sent off by referee Kevin D. Kelleher in 1967 for dangerous play against Scotland—only the second All Black ever suspended at that time—he remained a central figure in New Zealand rugby until his death.

Reader's Guide

Colin Meads is a lock forward (second row), though he occasionally played at number 8 and even wing, but never as a flanker. He is known for his strength, high pain threshold, and reputation as a 'hard man'. Notable incidents include playing with a broken arm, being sent off against Scotland in 1967, and the controversial end of Ken Catchpole's career. He was named Player of the Century at the NZRFU Awards in 1999. He is a member of the World Rugby Hall of Fame and the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame.

Did You Know?

• Meads played his entire provincial career for King Country, not Auckland.
• He was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2014 (as part of the initial induction class), not 2019.
• His nickname 'Pinetree' may have originated from Roger Boon in 1955 or from teammate Ken Briscoe during the 1958 tour of Japan.
• He was named New Zealand's Player of the Century at the NZRFU Awards in 1999.