Explosive Mealamu gives Wallabies the wobbles

By WYNNE GRAY

No wonder they took Keven Mealamu away for drug testing.

Even if the All Black hooker's number had not been drawn for the random check, the Wallabies should have asked for him to be examined.

The 24-year-old was on fire on Saturday night, a human incendiary the Wallabies could not extinguish as they surrendered the Bledisloe Cup at Eden Park.

Mealamu ignored some personal anxiety to lay down a herculean physical performance. His explosive running guaranteed the All Blacks would break the advantage line while his brutal tackling banged over the Wallabies like skittles.

The hooker may have been earmarked this year as a bench player, but he has shown consistently he can cut it from the start of a test.

Asked how he rated Mealamu's play on Saturday, deadpan All Black coach John Mitchell said: "Pretty good."

After the laughter eased, Mitchell added that the hooker was a very special player and outstanding team man.

"He has skills others do not have in world rugby," he said.

Mealamu's rise is remarkable from someone who was unwanted by the Blues last year, switched to the Chiefs, became an end of year test player and is now the regular All Black hooker.

More than an hour after his man-of-the-match work, drug test and media meetings, Mealamu was a little agitated as he had still not caught up with his family.

He was worried about the health of his young son, Sam, who had been fighting high temperatures for the last few days. "He was going to come because he loves football, but he had to stay at home with my wife, Latai," Mealamu said.

The hooker's parents were in the boisterous crowd, somewhere, and Mealamu was looking for his phone to try and locate them.

Mealamu has the sort of engaging smile which used to crease the dial of another with similar religious convictions, Eroni Clarke, and the hooker showed all the grinning power of his former Auckland team-mate on Saturday.

He may be short compared with other frontrowers but, at 105kgs, his power to weight ratio is venomous. His chunky legs are detonators. They blast him past, around or through defenders who do not react to his speed.

He hits in defence with the same brutality, he burrows deep into mauls to organise driving forays.

Three of his first four throws missed the target on Saturday, but that was the end of his lineout wobbles.

"I was not going to let that spoil my night, we had the space but I just needed to get a bit more weight on the throws," he said.

Mealamu has only known Bledisloe Cup pleasure after wins in Sydney and Auckland to regain the trophy.

After seven tests this season he has also certified his place. Is he surprised at how he has gone in the job?

"I am actually," he said. "It is just the shoes I had to fill but I am enjoying it. Robbie [Deans] and John [Mitchell] said you never know when it is your last game in the All Black jersey so you have to give every game everything."

Mealamu admitted he hit the wall in the last minutes and would not have been surprised if he had been replaced. But to stay on and soak up the atmosphere when referee Jonathan Kaplan signalled time was a great feeling.

"This is the sort of thing I have been dreaming of since I was a little kid, playing at a packed Eden Park with the black jersey on," he said.

Mealamu was part of a committed All Black side where Richie McCaw returned with a vengeance, captain Reuben Thorne had his most visible test of the year alongside Jerry Collins, locks Ali Williams and Chris Jack belted along and the scrum grew steadily.

Fullback Mils Muliaina was inventive and effective until he strained his hamstring, an injury which will need three weeks of rest.

His comrades looked dangerous with Doug Howlett claiming two tries before several showers and a strong Wallaby defence inhibited the All Blacks attacking adventure.

Carlos Spencer was not his vibrant best in the conditions. He goaled four from seven with at least one bad miss while his tactical kicking was mixed.