More than a tough guy but Meads was tough!

Memorial: Sir Colin Meads and his wife Lady Verna with a new statue of himself

Uncompromising: Meads charges down a kick from Bill Gittings during the All Blacks’ game against the Midlands

COLIN MEADS (King County & New Zealand)

Died August 20, aged 81

Alegend of the game who epitomised the rugged, ruthless Kiwi forward that the game has come to fear and respect over the decades. All Black number 583, his Test career with New Zealand lasted for 15 years and totalled 55 Tests during an era when they were few and far between save on overseas tours and the occasional visits from the Lions.

He also played another 78 non- Test matches for the All Blacks on tour and captained the side 11 times. He played in the 1959, 1966 and 1971 Test series against the British Lions.

Meads was born into a farming family in Te Kuiti, in Waikato Province, and lived a famously rugged and outdoor life which accounted in a large part for his exceptional fitness and durability.

On more than once occasion Meads played for his local Te Kuiti club the day after playing in an international for New Zealand.

Tending and shearing the sheep was a tough enough job but Meads and his brother Stan, also a notable All Black, were also responsible for clearing and maintaining over 100 acres of overgrown scrubland and bush, an almost full-time occupation at certain times of the year. He was always fit and ready to play and didn’t believe in warms ups, the half-hearted haka of that era was his warm up.

He was no angel. Meads was a great rugby player, much more skilful than some will acknowledg, but he was also the meanest of enforcers during those wild west days when, in the absence of replays and TMOs, self-policing was the norm.

Ironically his 76th minute dismissal against Scotland at Murrayfield in 1967 was probably unlucky with many willing to accept he was making a genuine attempt to fly-hack a loose ball when his boot made contact with Alan Hastie. Certainly, the Scotland fly-half jumped up immediately, no harm done, and went over to Meads and gave him a friendly tap on the shoulder to signify he was ok with everything.

But he got away with plenty. He knocked out David Watkins – half his size – with a punch when the Lions toured in 1966 and broke Jeff Young’s jaw with a short armed jab when Wales visited in 1969. It should be added that Watkins bore him no malice and wrote to him in 1967 insisting his dismissal at Murrayfield had been wrong.

He also ended the legendary Ken Catchpole’s first class career in 1968 when he grabbed the Aussie’s leg when he was pinned under a ruck and managed to tear Catchpole’s hamstring off the bone and rupture groin muscles.

Ultimately, though, he will be remembered as a rampaging forward and a force of nature who helped forge the template for every subsequent All Blacks team.

SIONE LUAKI (Waikato Chiefs, Pacific Islands and New Zealand)

Died February 12 aged 35

Muscular and extremely physical Tongan who represented the Pacific Islands combined team before being head-hunted by New Zealand for whom, briefly, he blazed a trail for the All Blacks in 17 Tests often in concert with Jerry Collins and Richie McCaw. Thereafter beset by fitness and disciplinary problems as well as debilitating kidney and heart problems that were diagnosed in 2012 in France, where he enjoyed spells with Clermont and Bayonne

DAN VICKERMANN (Waratahs & Australia)

Died February 18 aged 37

Athletic and uncompromising South African who was educated at Diocesan College Cape Town before emigrating to Australia where he made his name, initially with the Brumbies and then with the Waratahs before going on to win 63 Wallaby caps.

Struggled badly with injuries in the second half of his career but made a number of comebacks while he also represented Cambridge in the 2009 Varsity match. Took his own life, reportedly the night before he was due to address a seminar on the problems facing elite athletes making the transition back to a ‘normal’ life.

ELI NORKETT (Wales)

Died February 25 aged 20

Bright young star of the Wales Women’s team who was tragically killed in a car crash near Glynneath, near her home in Port Talbot. First picked for the Wales team as a 17-year-old when she was playing for Neath Athletic. She also represented Wales at the World Cup in France that year when she was the youngest player at the tournament.

LLOYD WILLIAMS (Wales)

February 25, aged 83

Former Cardiff and Wales scrum-half who won 13 caps for Wales including three as captain, and made 310 first team appearances for Cardiff. One of eight rugby playing brothers from Taffs Wells – Tony, Bleddyn, Cenydd, Elwyn, Lloyd Williams, Vaughan, Brinley and Gwyn – who all represented Cardiff, the most noted of course being legendary Lions centre Bleddyn.

DAVID PERRY (England)

Died April 8 aged 79

An athletic no-nonsense No.8 who was a fixture in the England pack between 1963 and 1966 when his career ended in rather unnecessary circumstances.

At a time when there were no replacements, he played on despite a nasty knee injury and incurred so much extra damage that he was unable to play again. He transferred his considerable energy to a flourishing business career eventually becoming the managing director of Waddingtons where he managed to fend off various take over bids by Robert Maxwell.

VIOREL MORARIU (Romania)

Died May 23 aged 85

A leading light and stalwart of Romanian rugby during the good times and bad times as a player and administrator. Represented Romania on 22 occasions as a flanker and captained the side before he turned to coaching and administration. Struck up a firm friendship with an old opponent from a Cambridge University tour of Romania and with the support of other influential figures managed to keep the Romanian rugby flag flying in the turbulent years after the overthrow of President Ceausescu. Received the Vernon Pugh award for Distinguished service to Rugby Union in 2012.

TOM VAN VOLLENHOVEN (Blue Bulls, South Africa and St Helens RL)

October 21 aged 82

Phenomenally quick wing who made his name for the Boks against the 1955 Lions with a notable hat-trick in the second Test. Two years later he signed for St Helens after the Rugby League club had failed to land Tony O’Reilly. The Irish wing told them that if they wanted the world’s best they needed to go in search of Van Vollenhoven. The Bok was an instant and lasting success in League, scoring 392 tries in 409 games for St Helens. Twice scored six tries in a match in 1958-59 when he claimed 62 tries. Took the ball as close as possible to the posts.