Making a case for Meeuws

By WYNNE GRAY

The coathanger torso, massive arms and piston legs suggest plenty of power. Not the sort of rugby frame to be let loose in the backs.

It was not always so for Kees Meeuws, whose athleticism at school and beyond used to bring him occasional selections outside the pack. But those times are a blurry memory for the Auckland tighthead prop.

Everything in rugby now revolves round the No 3 jersey.

If you have Meeuws' physique - 1.83m and 125kg - it would be hard to pick him in any other position. So what gives him a thrill about the head down-backside up routine required of a tight forward - where is the glamour in that?

"The excitement comes from doing all the hard work for 60 minutes, when a game suddenly opens up because we have managed to tire the opposition out," he said.

Meeuws and Auckland know that pattern is unlikely against Canterbury when they duel tonight in their NPC match at Eden Park. There will be no letup in the hard slog.

Once the mid-year international schedule finished, Meeuws gave himself a three-week target to regroup, then hit top gear again. North Harbour were that target match so Meeuws is primed for the arrival of his All Black colleagues in the Canterbury side.

"I wanted to get the basics ticking over again at setpiece, then add some mobility and get my hands on the ball a bit," he said.

Those details kicked in more and more against Harbour, and last week against Southland. But Canterbury play at a different level.

"They are the benchmark for New Zealand rugby and we have to match that."

Meeuws will come up against fellow international Dave Hewett in the scrums, a job he will concentrate on first before he turns his attention to the rest of his Auckland duties.

"Dave is the incumbent All Black loosehead, which makes him pretty damned good, and I will have to be right on my game."

Meeuws has been trying out a little at loosehead but his primary work has always been tighthead prop. He rates it a tougher position because he has to be prepared to deal with attacks from both the opposition hooker and loosehead.

"At times they will try and pin you and you have to be ready."

His help comes from the grunt of 130kg lock Bradley Mika and an Auckland scrum that is improving.

"Each week we have built a belief in the team and the environment and we have to have that focus right for Canterbury because whenever they play Auckland they go at 120 per cent.

"We have created a good environment but we do have a lot of young guys here who may not have felt the pressure which will come in his game.

"I have been trying to tell them it will be like a test for everyone. We cannot afford to go to sleep for 10 minutes here and there like we have in a few matches."

Messages for Meeuws from All Black coach John Mitchell after the test season were to do more of what he had been doing.

"It was about workrate, about having a presence and doing the hard work."

After a spell with Otago and the Highlanders, Meeuws has enjoyed his return home and is optimistic about winning a place on the end-of-year All Black trip to England, France and Wales.

He is contracted to Auckland until the end of 2004; if all goes well he would like to stay beyond that. But his gaze is about now, about tonight, about Auckland and getting a result.

FOR THE RECORD


Name: Kees Meeuws


Age: 28


Height: 1.83m


Weight: 125kg


All Black debut: v Australia, Sydney, August 29, 1998.


Tests: 21. Three tries.


Teams: New Zealand under 17, under 19, Colts, NZ A, NZ Maori, Auckland, Otago, Highlanders, Blues.