His passing made me think of great front row opponents - and of the way Steve Hansen and the All Black selectors are handling their props at the moment. Things have changed a lot since Fats' days.
They can select four props for a start - that might have benefitted Fats had those rules been in force then because he could play either side of the scrum.
Some people were a bit surprised that Owen Franks started against France this morning with Charlie Faumuina coming off the bench, as many think Faumuina offers more of an all-round game. Franks is not big by prop standards but he is also not particularly mobile. He's strong, technically sound and I think Hansen and Co have got it right. Franks will do what he has to against the French - exert his influence in the scrum and the tight stuff.
Faumuina is more mobile and more of a ball handler and I think it's right that he come on when the game has loosened up a touch. It's the same on the other side of the scrum with Tony Woodcock and Wyatt Crockett. Woodcock will do all you ask of him in helping the All Blacks set their platform but Crockett brings an extra dimension when it comes to taking the ball up, the rucks and mauls and tackling.
The French respect good scrummagers and Franks and Woodcock will have kept them busy. Things have changed a bit now but I can still remember clearly a French club match when my side kicked off to begin the match and deliberately kicked the ball out on the full - just so we could get right into scrummaging.
What a bloodbath. We were awarded a penalty from that opening scrum and the ref's face was a picture when we opted to put down another scrum ...
We were being locked by Olivier Merle and Franc Buffet, who was almost as big as Merle and had fists twice the size of mine. His speciality was coming through the scrum to sort out his opposite with one of those huge fists.
I have to say, when reviewing the art of front row play, that it is all about combinations and the Argentinians always had excellent ones. There's none of this business of loose forwards sticking their heads up to see where the ball is - they all push, shoulder to the wheel, in a really concentrated and highly technical effort.
Phil Kearns was such a front row backbone at hooker that he anchored two ordinary props, Tony Daly and Ewen McKenzie, and made the Wallaby front row competitive. I don't know now why McKenzie, as coach, bothers to put on his second front row in the second half - they add nothing.
But probably my strongest memory of tough props, other than Fats, was when I was a young fella in Marlborough, playing against the touring French team - who put out a test front row of Philippe Dintrans, Jean-Pierre Garuet and Daniel Dubroca.
They were all gnarly internationals, all in their 30s and Ken Hart, Johny MacDonald and myself were all in our 20s and nobodies. Our lock, Jim Love, was sparking things and telling us to get stuck into them - and we did. It all went well until the French lost patience and turned us inside out for the rest of the game ...
Great memories and Fats' passing made me think of them and him and I'll be raising a glass of beer in his honour.
