Sir Colin Meads Turns 80 years old in 2016; born 3rd June 1936 - and still going strong.

It still reads very proudly; Meads played for his country over a span of 15 seasons; No one played longer. His full record of first-class rugby is listed here.

MEADS, Colin Earl born 3.6.1936 in Cambridge.

(Only Club; Waitete, Te Kuiti, New Zealand) Provincial games for King Country 1955(2)-56(6)-57(6)-58(9)-59(6)-60-61(7)-62(9)-63(10)-64(9)-65(10)-66(11)-67(11)-68(9)-69(10)-70-71(8)-72(14), Total for King Country 139 games, 31 tries, 1dropped goal, 99points;

For Combined Wanganui-King Country 1956(3)-65-66(2)-71, 3t; King Country-Counties 1959(2); Centurions Club 1956-57-58-61-70, 3t; WJ Whineray’s XV 1959-66, 1t; Barbarians Club (NZ) 1973(2); Harlequins Club (NZ) 1974; South African 75^th Jubilee XV (in SA) 1964(3), 2t; NZRFU President’s XV 1973 (v NZ); NZRFU Invitation XV 1973 (v NZ); President’s Overseas XV (in England) 1971(3); Tongan Invitation XV (in Tonga) 1973(2), 2t; North Is Colts 1955; NZ Colts (U21) 1955(8), 3t; NZ Juniors Trial 1957; NZ Juniors (U23) 1958(10), 3t; Black XV 1957; North Is XV 1956; North Island 1956-57-58-59-62-63-65-66-67-68-69-71, 12g, 1t; NZ Trials 1956-57(2)-58-59-60(2)-62-63(4)-65-66-67(2)-68-69-70(2)-71(2), 22g, 4t; Rest of NZ 1956; A New Zealand XV 1958-65-66;

Full NEW ZEALAND games 1957(10)-58(3)-59(3)-60(23)-61(3)-62(8)-63(26)-64(3)-65(4)-66(4)-67(12)-68(13)-69(2)-70(15)-71(4), 133g (55 tests, 7t), 28t, 1c, 86pts. Career Match total of first class games: 361g, 81t, 1c, 1dg, 253pts.

A loose forward/lock. educated Te Kuiti Primary School and Te Kuiti High School,1^st  Played HS 1st XV 1950. A Farmer all his working life. King Country coach 1976-81. NZ selector 1986; NZRFU councillor 1992-96, Made NZRFU life member 2007. Awarded NZRU award of the Steinlager Salver 1999 for outstanding service to rugby. Inducted into International Rugby Hall of Fame 1997. In 1999 was voted the NZ rugby Player of the Century. In 2002 the NZRU introduced the Meads Cup for competition among the Heartland unions. Distinguished Companion of the NZ Order of Merit (DCNZM) 2000; Member of the British Empire (MBE) 1971. Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II 2009.

A biography Colin Meads – All Black, by Alex Veysey, was published 1974 and became a best seller. Another biography Meads by Brian Turner was published 2002. A third book the A-Z of Meads by Keith Quinn was published in 2010. A Brother of Stan, the 1961-66 All Black. A cousin of Brian and Sam who both played first class rugby. And father of Glynn who was an All Black trialist who played 113 games for King Country.