Meads Meets An Old Friend-The Man Who Sent Him Off

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32362, 30 July 1970, Page 18

Meads Meets An Old FriendThe Man Who Sent Him Off

(From T. P. McLEAN) SKUKUZA. Two Rugby men who last saw each other under most difficult circumstances have had a warm and friendly meeting. They are the Al! Black lock, C. E. Meads, and the Irish referee, Mr Kevin Kelleher.

It was Mr Kelleher who ordered Meads from the field when the All Blacks played Scotland in Edinburgh just before Christmas, 1967. Meads was only the second man Mr Kelleher had sent from the field in a long career as a referee. He considered that Meads’s action in attempting to kick the ball as the Scottish fly half, D. Chisholm, was reaching for it, constituted dangerous play. Previously, he had formally warned Meads about his method of going into a ruck. Watched First Test With the passage of time the two men became better acquainted and a friendship by corrspondence developed. This was extended at Pretoria last Sunday afternoon when Mr Kelleher and Meads spent several hours in each other’s company.

Mr Kelleher, who runs his own store in Dublin, and his wife had intended to have a vacation in South Africa in November. But on learning of the All Blacks tour, they varied the dates so that Mr Kelleher could see at least one test. His pleasure at meeting Meads—“We bad a very pleasant chat; Colin is a very fine man”—was tempered by his dismay at seeing the All Blacks in action. “They were deplorable,” he said. “1 could not imagine that All Black forwards could pack so badly.” Confident Prediction “I was interested that when the All Blacks, two or three times, did begin to play well, there were signs of panic in the Springboks. For this reason, I still think the All Blacks win win the next three tests.” Mr Kelleher had one strong hope about the man with whom his name will be associated. '*) woud be distressed.” he said, “if Meads risked his arm by playing too soon. “I do not think he ought to take this risk. He should wait until the arm is properly knitted before attempting to play.” Councillors Worried There has been conjecture in South Africa, not excluding the All Blacks party, that the New Zealand Rugby Union council might move in on the Meads affair. It is known that councillors have been worried at the amount of newspaper talk about the injury and the many medical opinions published. However, the All Blacks manager (Mr R. L. Burk) said yesterday there was no question of any outside agency getting into the act. “It is entirely over to us.” Mr Burk said. “I intend to have a talk with Meads and to see what the situation is with his artificial aid. "In the light of evidence which is available >nd reliable, we will take action about Colin’s future.” It is understood that neither Mr Burk nor the coach (Mr I. M. H. Vodanovich) is happy at the thought of Meads risking his future. It may therefore be surmised

that unless the evidence as to the reliability of the artificial aid is irrefutable —and to the possibility of the injured arm being sufficiently strong in itself to stand up to play—pressure will be put on Meads to undergo normal treatment in the hope that he will be fit to play in the last three or four games of the tour. New Plastic Fitting Yesterday Meads gave himself no chance of playing in the second test next week. The plaster case was taken off his arm at Johannesburg on Monday and a new plastic fitting was applied without trouble. It is possible to put this on and take it off with ease, and it gives considerable support to the arm. “All the same." Meads said, “the arm with the plaster removed felt very weak. I had a long training run and lasted it pretty well, but the arm was hurting quite a lot, especially when I jarred it, and it felt very weak.”