100 Greatest All Blacks: Bruce McLeod

A few days before the All Black side of '67 was announced, some NZRU officials suggested to coach and selector Fred Allen that he should omit Colin Meads, Ken Gray and Bruce McLeod.

The officials were concerned at the reaction that trio would provoke on the tour to Europe because they were so efficient at rucking.

Allen dismissed the concept and proudly announced all three in the squad when he stood up to deliver his team selection in the throbbing underbelly at Athletic Park.

In a seven year stretch, McLeod was picked as hooker in all but one test, the Jubilee test against the Wallabies when he was suspended.

McLeod was a rugged man whose play verged from ruthless to dangerous but he was always involved in every aspect of the tight work for his pack.

He had good ball skills and a confidence about his ability which prompted him to predict he would score on debut, which he did against the Wallabies at Carisbrook in 1964.

In his years after All Black rugby, McLeod lost his way with alcohol problems contributing to his isolation, divorce and eventual lonely death at Foxton.

He would have struggled if yellow cards and video officials had been about in his heyday as he was rarely shy about delivering his form of sporting justice.

In one club game, McLeod stomped on and injured a Counties provincial mate but the next week addressed the team and told them to forget the incident.

"It is gone now and this afternoon we are all going to be pulling on our Counties jerseys and we are going to be mates again - end of story," he said.

That was the sort of work the NZRU was afraid of but Fred Allen knew he could control the gnarly hooker.

Statistics
Date of birth: 30 January 1940
Position: Hooker
Test debut: 15 August 1964 v Australia at Dunedin
Final test: 8 August 1970 v South Africa at Cape Town
Matches: 46
Tests: 24
Province: Counties
Test tries: 4
Test points: 12