Lochore pays tribute to ‘world class’ team-mate
Sir Brian Lochore has reflected on ‘‘the only downer’’ of his time playing alongside Sir Colin Meads for the All Blacks.
Lochore played alongside Meads in the black jersey through the 1960s and in the early 1970s - with the two being captain and vicecaptain for the side’s 1970 tour of South Africa, in which the All Blacks won just one of four test matches.
‘‘I guess we could only call that tour disappointing from his and my point of view. I was captain, he was vice-captain, and it was probably the only downer we had during our career together,’’ Lochore said.
During the tour, Meads famously played on in a match despite suffering an arm injury which was later confirmed as a break.
‘‘He didn’t know how bad it was. Obviously it was sore, but he didn’t know it was broken. He would have had a bit of soreness or pain, but he was strong enough to work through it, I guess.’’
Because of the injury, the tough-as-teak lock was forced to miss the second of four test matches against South Africa on the 24-match tour.
‘‘It was the only time I never played with him in a test match in my life. I played in his position in the second test and, well we missed him, but we actually won that test.
‘‘We missed him of course, you always miss your best players, but we ended up winning that test.’’
Meads died at Te Kuiti hospital on Sunday morning at the age of 81 after a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer. He is survived by wife Verna, their children Karen, Kelvin, Rhonda, Glynn and Shelley, their 14 grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.
Since news of his death broke on Sunday afternoon, tributes to the greatest All Black of the 20th century have flooded in from around the world.
‘‘It’s a sad day for all of us, the Meads family in particular, but obviously New Zealand rugby as a whole.
Lochore paid tribute to his former team mate, and said there were few who could do what Meads did on the rugby pitch.
‘‘He’s endear to all those who understand rugby because of his performances on the field, no doubt about that,’’ Lochore said.
‘‘And the fact that he played over a long period of time - something like 12 years at the national level is a massive amount of time and particularly in those days when it was amateur and you had another career as well.
‘‘That’s the reason he’s revered for what he is - his playing performance and the length of time he played at that level.’’
Lochore, who came into the All Blacks ‘‘in awe’’ of the already established Meads in 1963, said he believed Meads deserved to be inducted into World Rugby’s Hall of Fame much earlier than 2014.
‘‘I think he should have been there years earlier. Clearly he was a world class player when he played.’’ Tom Walsh takes the responsibility of being a world champion seriously.
So much so that when the big Kiwi went out and competed for the first time as official shot put champion of the world, in the Birmingham Diamond League early yesterday, he felt a large weight on his shoulders.
But neither that, nor the groin injury he is shaking off to finish his northern hemisphere season, could stop him winning his first Diamond League competition of the year, and making it two in a row over his archrival, Olympic champion and best thrower in the world, Ryan Crouser.
Walsh came right when it mattered in Birmingham to haul in Crouser’s first-round throw of 21.55 metres with his penultimate toss (21.75m) and then, as he did at the world champs in London, he put the icing on the cake with a competitionbest 21.83m in the final round. He collected US$10,000 (nearly NZ$14,000) for the victory.
Crouser, who has failed to fire in Britain after a storming season hitherto, finished second with that first-up effort that he matched in the fourth round. Czech Tomas Stanek was third with 21.16m.
Walsh’s series was: 20.75m, 21.29m, a no-throw, 20.92m, 21.75m and 21.83m. Crouser, who has a season’s best of 22.65m, went: 21.55m, two straight fouls, 21.55m again, 21.53m and finished on a nothrow.
‘‘That’s what I wanted – to compete well and to compete like a world champion,’’ Walsh said from Birmingham. ‘‘I wanted to prove I deserved to be world champion and I’m pleased that I did that. The first four throws weren’t that good, but the last two were a lot better and to back up that world title and compete well is a big thing for me.
‘‘I’m a competitive guy, and every time I go out I really want to win and to throw far, so just to do that again I’m really happy.’’
Walsh figured his winning throw of 21.83m was pretty close to a 22m effort, all things considered.
‘‘It’s probably 20 or 30cm uphill to the landing area [in Birmingham], so that definitely takes something off the throw for sure, and it was a little chilly which doesn’t help things,’’ he added.
‘‘It’s tricky because you’ve got some guys who have done what they wanted to at the world champs and you’ve got others who are trying to prove a point. Sometimes the guys who have done well find it hard to get themselves up and the other guys are trying too hard. That’s why today’s comp was a little bit up and down.
‘‘But you never take winning for granted. At the moment men’s shot put is crazy deep, and whenever I can win it’s a good day.’’
There were no complaints this time either from Crouser, and Walsh confirmed some bridges had been rebuilt following the world champs controversy when the giant American’s dual protests had carried over to just before the medal ceremony the night after the event.
In fact he went as far as to suggest their rivalry might even have gone to a new level with backto-back wins now for the 25-year-old Kiwi. ’’We’re fine. We’ve had a few dinners together and been to a few other things, so we’re all good,’’ said Walsh.
Walsh has two meets to conclude his season before he returns to Christchurch. He will line up in Zagreb on August 28 (Euro time) and rounds things off with a shot at the US$50,000 (NZ$68,300) up for grabs at the Diamond League finale in Brussels on September 1.
‘‘There is definitely a bit of a carrot there,’’ Walsh said with a chuckle. ‘‘The Diamond League, behind the world champs, is what you want to win. It would be great if I could defend my title and come home with the cash as well.’’
The pride of Timaru has already banked close to $115,000 in prizemoney this campaign, but it goes without saying the champ is hungry for more.