The 83-year-old former All Black is in Dunedin for the second test against Ireland and was a guest at the ODT Rugby News VIP Rugby Event at the Glenroy Auditorium yesterday.
Meads played 15 tests for the All Blacks between 1961 and 1966. One of those fixtures was against the Irish in Dublin in 1963.
New Zealand edged the home side 6-5. Meads packed down at the back of the scrum that day and remembers the match well.
"What I remember about the game is the Irish came hard in the opening 20 minutes," he said.
"It would be the hardest 20 minutes I’ve ever played. They were into us."
"There were things going on in the lineout with Willie John McBride and Pine Tree clashing at the front of the lineout."
"I said to Kel Tremain what is going on and he said ‘just stay down this end, Snow’."
Good advice probably.
Pine Tree, of course, is Stan’s big brother Colin Meads. Pine Tree was viewed as this otherworldly figure who could grip the ball in one hand and whose stride was impossibly long. But it turns out big brother was not that much bigger than little brother.
He fudged his height too, but in a different way. Colin reached 1.92m on the tape and Stan was all of that as well. But he shaved off half an inch after some encouragement from Pine Tree, who perhaps wanted to be the tallest Meads on the team sheet.
"Pine Tree was always six foot four and this sort of sums Pine Tree up. When I came along, I was asked how tall I was and I said six foot four. But Pine Tree said, ‘Nah, he’s six foot three and a-half’.
"It was good fun but there was a little bit of seriousness in it."
Meads feels this All Black team copes a lot of criticism but is, in his view, a good side. But they will face a tough opponent tonight.
"Ireland are going to come back, I think. In my book you never underestimate the Irish because they will throw everything at it."
Meads is not overly enthusiastic about the way modern rugby has developed.
"I would like to see the ball given a lot more air instead of bashing in and bashing in before flicking it wide.
"We have to be careful it does not become too predictable.
"It can become boring, I’ve got to say. I hope they can rectify it somehow. I don’t know how but we’ve got to try and make it a more exciting game."
