Meads captained the All Blacks several times, and although never a regular captain, he holds the record of longest period of captaincy (NOT consecutive games), from the first date (1960) he was appointed captain to the last match he captained (1971).
Meads was born in Cambridge, New Zealand.
In 1967, during a game against Scotland he became the second player ever to be sent off in an international test match.
In 1970, Meads broke his arm playing against Eastern Transvaal in South Africa. He emerged from a particularly vicious ruck with his arm dangling horribly. It was an obvious fracture, and yet Meads completed the match. When the doctor cut away his shirt and confirmed the break, Meads muttered, "At least we won the bloody game."
His brother Stanley Meads played 30 matches as an All Black. In 11 matches Stanley and Colin locked the All Black scrum.
Meads was named Player of the Century at the NZRFU Awards dinner in 1999.
A Colin Meads fan club exists, with the members at their meetings wearing No. 5 jerseys, drinking 5oz beers and reading from "Colin Meads All Black" while planning how to mark the great man's birthday on June 3.