Rugby: All Blacks legend Sir Colin Meads' adversary Ken Catchpole dies

Former Australian halfback Ken Catchpole during a Wallabies training session in 1966. Photo / Getty Images

Ken Catchpole, the former Wallabies halfback and captain forever linked in many New Zealanders' minds with Colin Meads, has died at the age of 78.

Catchpole played 27 tests for Australia – his last in 1968 in Sydney when he suffered a bad leg injury caused by Meads, who died in August.

Meads "wishboned" Catchpole's leg while he was caught in a ruck, tearing the hamstring from the bone and severely rupturing his groin, ending the Australian's test career at the age of 28.

In an interview with the Guardian 10 years ago, Meads spoke about the incident, denying that he ended Catchpole's playing career. "I played with him in Tonga, in fact, two or three New Zealanders joined a few Aussies, maybe three years later," Meads said.

Explaining the incident, Meads said he was told to stop Catchpole burrowing back into the pack after Waka Nathan had closed down the back of the lineout. "For Christ's sake, put the little bastard on the ground," was the instruction from the sideline.

Sir Colin Meads at the official unveiling of his statue in Te Kuiti in June. Photo / Photosport

"Sure enough, the little bugger ducked back in amongst us. I just reached in and grabbed one leg. I was going to tip him up. I didn't know his other bloody leg was stuck at an angle. So he did the splits. Bloody sad. But I'd have probably done the same thing the next bloody day. I didn't think I'd done anything that wrong."

Years later, Meads was invited to a dinner held in Catchpole's honour. Two nights before the event he was rung by one of the organisers, who said: "If I were you, I wouldn't come over here because you're going to get booed off the bloody stage."

Pinetree's response was: "Well, all the more reason why I should bloody come."

No one booed, apparently.

According to news.com.au, Catchpole, who was inducted in the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2013, passed away after a long battle with illness.