It was more a relief than anything else watching Keven Mealamu zooming about against Argentina, turning the clock back far enough to remind everyone how good he has been, or still might be.
All Blacks don't come more popular than the 118-test hooker Mealamu. While there aren't any polls onthis, he is even well liked outside of Auckland which - we Aucklanders are led to believe - is not common. To indicate the sort of respect he is held in behind the scenes, a Blues official told me once that when it came to school visits and the like, Mealamu was always the man most willing. Fame has never tested his humility - you won't meet anyone with a bad word to say about Keven Mealamu. His test career has been on the slide though.
The early arrival of Dane Coles' son turned into a re-birth for Mealamu in Argentina yesterday. He's had a fairly awful test season so far, getting scant time as a permanent replacement and struggling with lineout throwing.
In his first test start of the year, Mealamu tore into the fray like a man refreshed and was bang on with his lineout work. Perhaps a 35-year-old tight forward can get a new lease of life. Maybe Mealamu is more comfortable starting tests these days, rather than trying to conjure up impact performances on slower legs. Whatever the reasons, and with the unheralded Nathan Harris waiting in the wings, Mealamu came out swinging.
For what it's worth, I thought Mealamu was outplayed by his opposite, because the Pumas' captain Agustin Creevy was sensational around the field in a well beaten side. But Mealamu was up there with the best and the hooker debate could even be back on. Coles, with terrific acceleration and an unusual array of skills for a frontrower, has his nose well in front and is a success story of the season. But Mealamu ain't taking this lying down anymore.
Mealamu wasn't the only veteran to impress. The usual suspect, a certain Richie McCaw, excelled in the trenches for the umpteenth time in his career. If McCaw wasn't winning the ball from Argentina he was making their life awkward, and he conjured up one of the best runs in the match racing past Creevy. We're used to seeing McCaw defying rugby's father time, but Mealamu has been so lacking that you wondered if next year's World Cup was looming as a season too far. Was this one last defiant stand from Mealamu? His previous struggles can't be ignored so the verdict is still out. But it was wonderful to see such a popular and loyal troop showing some old form.
