WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) As a player, All Blacks legend Colin Meads was always larger than life. Now, a statue considerably more than life size, has been erected in his honor in the main street of his home town of Te Kuiti.
Meads, named in 1999 as New Zealand’s Rugby Player of the 20th Century, pulled the cord on Tuesday that unveiled the 2.7 meter (9 foot) statue, which shows him in typically pose, with the ball carried in one giant hand.
There were fears that Meads, now 81 and battling pancreatic cancer, might not be able to attend the unveiling.