Opinion: Sir Colin Meads was the genuine article

All Blacks rugby legend Sir Colin Meads. Photo/File

Sir Colin Meads was an outstanding rugby player from another era.

It's a whole new ball game today. When he played rugby for New Zealand the All Blacks played for the honour and glory of the game. Today the game and winning is still important but it's also all about "show me the money".

When rugby became a professional sport it affected not only the game but the players too. To be expected I suppose. Money has a habit of changing everything. I often hear people who love and played the game say it "stuffed the sport". Players went from being a member of the team to being very much about "look at me, look at me".

And the antics of some of the current crop of All Blacks. In the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. I am not a great follower of rugby but I know the names of the players who are admired and respected on and off the field. Sir Colin tops the list. On the field, it wasn't just about the individual player, everyone was crucial for a win. There was no I in team. Players may have excelled but a win was acknowledged as a shared success.

With Sir Colin what you saw is what you got. I like that in a person. No pretence. Why would there be. That was how it was then. Good keen men playing great rugby, being themselves. I suspect Sir Colin's farming background contributed to the man he became. Farming folk are stoic, resilient. They know the weather can play havoc with their livelihoods so they "make hay while the sun shines". They put in the effort.

In Sir Colin's day players had other jobs. Being an All Black wasn't a fulltime career. After touring players returned to their jobs in the off season. You don't get an off season now, professional players have to earn their lucrative contracts. Rugby is played somewhere in the world all year round. Wives didn't just keep the home fires burning. They were the glue that kept families together, bringing up the children. Sir Colin always acknowledged the important role Lady Verna had in his rugby career. And getting married, well that couldn't be allowed to disrupt the match schedule even for one weekend.

Bosses kept jobs open and All Blacks, grateful for the time off given to play their beloved sport, gave their best to their employer. If you were a farmer, family and neighbours pitched in while you toured. They were proud to have a father, son, brother or uncle as an All Black playing for New Zealand. And we were proud to know one of them came from our community. They were one of us.

Sir Colin and his team mates didn't need advisers or highly paid managers to stage manage them every step of the way. They had a team manager but they were capable of looking after themselves and each other. They didn't need a code of conduct to guide their behaviour. They knew how to behave and would have put their own checks and balances in place. When they arrived in cities and towns for a game they practised in full view of their fans. They weren't screened off with security guards posted at the ground's entrance to keep them protected from eager devotees. They went to local schools and local rugby clubs to mix and mingle with supporters of the game. The ones who paid to stand on the terraces in the rain with their kids.

They didn't do photo shoots in their undies, get paid for their wedding photos or turn up to gala celebrity "look at me" functions. It was a different era. Back then the All Blacks focused on their sport. Did any of them have a tryst in an airport toilet? Who knows. It would be naive to think they didn't get up to high jinks. But you can bet if one did their mates would have made them aware of what they were putting at risk, putting on the line in terms or personal reputation and bringing the sport into disrepute. They looked out for a drunk mate. That's what mates do.

His friends and former players have spoken highly of Sir Colin since his death earlier this week. He was a rugby legend because he was a great player. He was a great New Zealander because he was the genuine article.

Merepeka Raukawa-Tait is a Rotorua Lakes Council councillor, Lakes District Health Board member and chairs the North Island Whanau Ora Commissioning Agency. She writes, speaks and broadcasts to thwart the spread of political correctness.