He played 133 times for New Zealand, including a record 55 tests. He made his test debut in Australia in 1957 as a flanker but 47 of his 55 tests were at lock, a position he dominated in world rugby through the 1960s. Meads’s style was one of utter commitment and pride in the All Black jersey and he was feared and respected by opponents. He became, in 1967 in Edinburgh, the second player to be sent off in an international. Meads’s test career ended with the All Black captaincy against the British Isles in 1971 and his first-class career with matches staged in his honour by the NZRFU in Wellington and Auckland in 1973. He later coached King Country with success, was a New Zealand selector but was voted off the national panel in 1986 after coaching the unofficial Cavaliers in South Africa. He was elected to the NZRFU’s council in 1992 and managed the All Blacks in 1994 and 1995. He was voted rugby player of the century by Rugby World magazine in 2000. Return to the Inductee list