Colin Meads was, deservedly, named Player of the Century at the NZRFU Awards dinner in 1999 and few would argue with his selection. After representing King Country at Primary School and Junior level, Meads made his senior representative debut as a 19-year-old against South Auckland Counties in 1955, marking his debut not only with a try but a dropped goal, an exotic touch from a tyro lock. Recognition came quickly, for later that season he toured Australia and Ceylon with the New Zealand Colts, appearing in all eight matches. All Black trial matches and an appearance for the North Island in 1956 showed he was making his mark. All Black honours came on the 1957 tour to Australia where he played in both internationals, scoring his first test try in the second whilst deputising for Frank McMullen on the wing. From that 1957 debut Colin Meads was a fixture in the All Blacks, hardly missing a test until his finale against the Lions in 1971, In his early All Blacks days he played lock, flanker (his first two tests were on the side of the scrum) and sometimes No. 8 (until the disastrous 3rd test against Australia in 1964) but from 1965 he appeared only as a lock. In all, Colin Meads appeared in 133 matches for the All Blacks (including 55 test matches) and some 360 first class matches. In 11 of the tests his fellow lock was brother Stan, whom Colin regarded as the best of his locking partners. Consistently fit, mobile, aggressive ("as hard as the hobs of hell" according to Willie John McBride) and determined Meads was a major, perhaps the major, component of the great All Black forward packs of the 1960s. Low points in a wonderful career were his sending of in the 1967 test against Scotland and a broken arm in South Africa in 1970. He was invited to play in the South African 75th jubilee (1964), the RFU centenary matches (1971) and captained the President's XV and an Invitation XV against the All Blacks in 1973. After coaching King Country 1976-81 Meads was a North Island selector 1982-85 before being elected to the national selection panel in 1986. He was however, voted off the panel at the end of that year after being "severely reprimanded" by the NZRFU for coaching the unofficial Cavaliers side in South Africa. President of the King Country RFU in 1987 Colin Meads was elected to the NZRFU council in 1992 and managed the All Blacks in 1994-95. Stepping down in 1996 he remains closely in touch with the game, recently being part of a panel that reported to the NZRFU on aspects of forward play in the modern New Zealand game. Outside of rugby Meads, after initially agreeing to help out for a year, has been involved since his playing days with the Intellectually Handicapped Children's Society, including serving on the national council. "Pinetree" Meads remains something of a cult figure. A Colin Meads club still exists, with the members at their meetings wearing No. 5 jerseys, drinking 5oz beers, reading from "Colin Meads All Black" whilst planning how to mark the great man's birthday on the 3rd of June.