@mariner4life said in England v All Blacks:
@SammyC said in England v All Blacks:
Colin meads used to make a point of taking beers into the opposition sheds after the game
yeah but what did he know about being a hard fluffybunny
Just misunderstood.
Ahead of the 1967 All Blacks visit to France, the New Zealand players had been cautioned about Benoit Dauga’s daunting physical presence, and in particular their coach Fred Allen had warned the second-row forward Colin “Pinetree” Meads to watch out. “We’d heard all tour about what a big tough rooster he was, and Fred really built him up to me,” said Meads. “I was told: ‘You’d better watch out, they say this Dauga can knock blokes out with one punch.’ ”
In a one-off Test match against France at the Stade Olympique de Colombes near Paris, Meads was deliberately kicked in the head during a melee on the ground, resulting in a nasty injury. After returning to the field stitched and bandaged, he sought immediate revenge on the culprit, whom he assumed to be Dauga, punching him in the face and breaking his nose.
Later, at the post-match dinner, when a puzzled Dauga approached Meads to ask why he had done such a thing, the New Zealander gave him both barrels, explaining that it was recompense for his vicious earlier behaviour – only to discover that Dauga was entirely innocent, and that the villain of the piece had in fact been the France No 8 Walter Spanghero.