Paul Little's brittle appearance and hairdresser occupation had many in his heyday, dismissing his substance as a rugby player. How wrong they were.
He made a late start to his rep career and his 10 All Black tests and another 19 games were played in less than three years before he was done with rugby.
Those who watched him grace the club and provincial matches in Auckland knew why he would succeed at internationals. There was a grace and timing about Little's play which might not have appeared again until Bruce Robertson made his entrance.
Little sharpened his skills during Auckland's great Shield defence from '59-'63 and his expertise brought him his test debut in the middle of that reign.
Little played in an era when threequarters did not see a lot of ball from setplay but his instincts were well tuned to his role at centre, where he used his speed and skills to set up his wings.