Brotherly affection was so deep Pinetree thought his younger brother Stan was his best locking partner in his All Black years.
That may have been true but it would have been fascinating to listen to the conversation at the Meads dining table in 1962 when Stan played a test and Colin was benched.
A week later they were united at Eden Park for the first time in a test with previous wise words from Wilson Whineray reminding Stan about concentrating on his work.
"There's only one Pinetree," Whineray told him. "He's got his style, develop your own."
Meads felt his best work in answering his skipper's demands came in the 1965 series against the Springboks when he had to mark the explosive lineout technician Frik du Preez. It was some battle with Meads amazed at the relentless drive of his opponent.