Sir Colin Meads obituary

All Blacks captain with a reputation as one of the hardest, most uncompromising players in rugby unionFew sportsmen or sportswomen have so defined their country as did Colin Meads, the former New Zealand rugby captain, who has died at the age of 81. A man uncomfortable with fame, he early in his career described himself as a “country hick in the big time” and saw himself as a father first, a farmer second and an All Black incidentally.Meads’ international career spanned 14 years and covered three decades, from his debut against Australia in 1957 to his final appearance against the 1971 Lions w…