Colin Meads is driven by Whanganui businessman John Palamountain at the running of the sheep in Te Kuiti earlier this year.
Colin Meads is driven by Whanganui businessman John Palamountain at the running of the sheep in Te Kuiti earlier this year.
Colin Meads' role in Wanganui rugby's greatest afternoon is just one many connections the legendary rugby player made with city over the years.
The 55-test All Black died on Sunday at the age of 81.
While he is better known for his exploits in the All Black and King Country jerseys, Meads also represented a combined Wanganui-King Country side four times against international opposition.
The most famous of those was in 1966 when the combined side beat the British & Irish Lions 12-6 at Spriggens Park.
Meads also represented Wanganui-King Country in one more match against the Lions and two against South Africa.
"He regarded Whanganui as one of his favourite cities," Mr Phillips said.
Whanganui businessman John Palamountain had been good friends with Meads over the past two decades and described him as a "real true New Zealander".
The pair worked together promoting dog biscuits in wool sheds around the country where hundreds would turn up.
"The pulling power he had was incredible."
Mr Palamountain said during a match between Wanganui and King Country one year he watched as Meads - even in retirement - cheekily used his influence to buy some extended time for a King Country comeback.
"Wanganui were giving King Country a bit of a rark up and Meads was determined he was going to win," he said.
"He used to control the whole game. Even when he was playing he didn't stop talking."
In the 1990s Mr Palamountain spent some time hunting and fishing with Meads.
Meads' wife Verna credits with those days with changing him.
"She said to me that night 'this has changed Colin's outlook on life'," Mr Palamountain said.
"Because he was totally immersed in rugby. We changed all that. It gave him another perspective on what to do."
Mr Palamountain said he watched Meads play many times over the years both on TV and live.
"He was an incredible player," he said.
"I watched him in awe to be honest. He was going stronger after 80 minutes than what he was after five.
"He was very good at it and had a very strong knowledge [of the game] and most of the time he was right."
Meanwhile, Wanganui Rugby has also dominated the Heartland Championship's Meads Cup with Meads himself attending all but one of the nine finals Wanganui has contested in recent years.
