Greatest: Round 2: Choose your 2

Rules and context here:
https://www.606v2.com/t38622-the-greatest-introduction-the-rules

Previous threads here:
https://www.606v2.com/t38819-greatest-round-2-choose-your-15#1753473
https://www.606v2.com/t38887-greatest-round-2-choose-your-11-14
https://www.606v2.com/t38898-greatest-round-2-choose-your-13
https://www.606v2.com/t38921-greatest-round-2-choose-your-12
https://www.606v2.com/t38949-greatest-round-2-choose-your-10
https://www.606v2.com/t38974-greatest-round-2-choose-your-9
https://www.606v2.com/t39002-greatest-round-2-choose-your-8
https://www.606v2.com/t39104-greatest-round-2-choose-your-7
https://www.606v2.com/t39143-greatest-round-2-choose-your-6
https://www.606v2.com/t39533-greatest-round-2-choose-your-4-and-5
https://www.606v2.com/t39632-greatest-round-2-choose-your-3

Brief:

• Vote for ONE PLAYER in the hooker position.

• Votes are cancellable so in the event that the votes for the rest of the front row are swinging one way, feel free to change your mind if you wish do so.

• It can be assumed that players in the amateur era would have been just as dominant vis a vis their historical peers if they had followed professional conditioning programmes.

Your shortlist (in no particular order):

1. Bryn Meredith
British & Irish Lions – 8 caps, Wales – 34 caps

Now aged a spritely 82, Meredith is still arguably the finest hooker that Wales has ever produced and in his heyday set the standard for the skillset in his position. No other player in his role could boast the same pace, handling skills and calm head in the busy traffic and he re-defined what a modern tight forward was expected to do. No front row forward came close to emulating his skills throughout the 50s and he retired his 8 year international career at the peak of his profession.

Meredith made his international debut in 1954. Over the next eight years he missed only three games for Wales and completed a hat-trick of tours as a Lion.

In 1955 he was part of the British Lions tour of South Africa (against one of the finest Springbok sides in history), in which the British tourists shared the Test series against South Africa 2-2 and where the hard pitches of South Africa were made for his running game and his technical skills in the tight. Meredith scored what is still a record six tries, including the pick of the second international in Cape Town. The Lions lost, but their hooker enhanced his reputation by winning a crucial strike in the scrum and then had the pace to get himself among the three-quarters and pop up outside centre Phil Davies to take a scoring pass.

On the 1955 Lions Tour the all-Welsh front row of Billy Williams, Bryn Meredith and Courtney Meredith was selected for a Lions test match. This did not occur again until June 2009 when Gethin Jenkins, Adam Jones and Matthew Rees were selected as the British and Irish Lions front row for the 2nd Test against South Africa.

In 1959, Meredith was a Lion again, but found himself in the unfortunate position of competing against tour captain Ronnie Dawson for a place in the Test team. Consequently, he finished as the only Lion not to appear in an international, although many judges felt he should have been selected for the final match of the series.

Captaincy of the team against the Junior All Blacks was a small consolation, but he never complained about his lot and even appeared as a flanker when injuries demanded on the Australian leg of the tour.

In 1962, Meredith was a live candidate for the tour captaincy himself, and although he missed out to Arthur Smith he added to his reputation in South Africa once more with another excellent tour capped by appearances in all four Tests.

He retired at the end of that tour and was voted his country's sportsman of the year in his final season.

Sample footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFPNOjulSn0

2. Keith Wood
British & Irish Lions – 8 caps, Ireland – 58 caps

Keith Gerard Mallinson Wood is one of Ireland's most iconic rugby players. A hard-nosed, driven player, Wood excelled at hooker for Ireland and the British and Irish Lions over an international career that spanned nine years.

The Raging Potato followed in his father's footsteps when he became a Lion - dad Gordon had propped the scrum in two tests on the 1959 tour and played 29 times for Ireland himself. Gordon had started his rugby life as a schoolboy wing, which is perhaps where Keith acquired his own talent for wreaking havoc in open play. What made Wood Jr such a stand-out performer in the red jersey was the skill he offered his team beyond the conventional hooker's trade, as well as his inspirational abilities as a leader.

He started his career with Garryowen, which he helped to All Ireland titles in 1992 and 1994 before moving to Harlequins, where he spent the remainder of his career aside from a sabbatical with Munster during the 1999-2000 season. His international debut came against Australian in Brisbane in 1994, and he played at his first Rugby World Cup in 1995.

Wood played in an Ireland side that often struggled at the top end of the game but he proved himself to be in the mix with the best players in the world during his career, notably on the Lions' victorious tour of South Africa in 1997. Wood was one of the most charismatic leaders in the game, and this showed through as he backed up tour captain Martin Johnson with some inspirational displays in their two Test match victories.

He played his second Rugby World Cup in 1999 as Ireland lost out to Argentina in a quarter-final playoff. Wood toured with the Lions again, playing all three Tests against Australia in 2001. The Lions were less successful on this occasion, losing the series 2-1. Wood would continue to represent Ireland until the 2003 Rugby World Cup, his third, retiring after their 43-21 quarter-final loss to France in Melbourne.

Wood was the inaugural winner of the IRB World Player of the Year award in 2001 and was followed as Ireland captain by somebody called Brian O'Driscoll. In 2005 the Clare man was inducted into the Rugby Hall of fame.

He currently holds a world record of 15 full international test tries scored by a hooker, previously held by Sean Fitzpatrick (12) of the New Zealand All Blacks.

Since his retirement Wood has forged a career in the media with both the BBC and The Daily Telegraph.

Sample footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAwdpY4wzpM

3. Sean Fitzpatrick
New Zealand – 92 caps

By the time of his enforced retirement, just before the start of the 1998 season, Sean Fitzpatrick had established himself as one of the most significant All Blacks of all time. As a legend he rated with the likes of Colin Meads and George Nepia, men who have a status not simply as rugby stars but as folk heroes.

A born and bred Aucklander and son of former All Black Brian Fitzpatrick, he made his New Zealand debut against France on June 28, 1986 and would remain an All Blacks stalwart for the next 11 years, collecting a record 92 caps before a chronic knee injury forced him into retirement.
His last appearance for New Zealand came as a replacement against Wales at Wembley in 1997 and he bowed out of the international stage as the most-capped All Black of all-time. Fitzpatrick also held the New Zealand captaincy from 1992, when he took over from Gary Whetton, until he hung up his boots and in doing so set another All Blacks record of 51 appearances as skipper.

His ascent to the international ranks came as part of the 'Baby Blacks' - a new generation of players who were called up as a result of the blanket two-Test ban placed on those rebels, known as the Cavaliers, who had toured South Africa in 1986 against the wish of the New Zealand Rugby Union.

At the time he was only a reserve for Auckland and had limited provincial experience but an injury to intended hooker Bruce Hemara saw him promoted for the Christchurch clash. Fortune would smile on Fitzpatrick once more on the eve of the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987. Andy Dalton was set to be the hooker and captain the All Blacks with Fitzpatrick his deputy but a hamstring injury ruled Dalton out of the first match, opening the door for Fitzpatrick who subsequently played in all the pool matches.

He made such an impression that he kept a fit-again Dalton out of the side as New Zealand went on to beat France in the tournament finale at Eden Park in Auckland and lay claim the sport's biggest prize.

It was by another favourable twist of fate that Fitzpatrick came to be captain. Laurie Mains took the All Blacks' coaching reins in 1992 and it was widely thought that his previous skipper at Otago, Mike Brewer, would assume the same role for his country. However, an injury to Brewer in the final trial match and with previous skipper Gary Whetton out of favour, Fitzpatrick found himself as the likely candidate.

He led New Zealand in the three matches against a World XV as part of the New Zealand Rugby Union's centenary celebrations and struck up a good working relationship with his coach which would last throughout his four year tenancy.

Fitzpatrick, and New Zealand, survived another test of character in 1993 with the visit of the Lions. Faced with the prospect of becoming only the second All Blacks captain ever to lead his team to a series defeat against the tourists he rallied his side to clinch the crucial 3rd Test.

The following year was another gruelling one for the All Blacks with a shock series defeat to France - the first and only European team so far to achieve this. Further disappointment followed in 1995 with an agonising defeat to old rivals South Africa in the Rugby World Cup Final. New Zealand were many people's favourites for the crown and they powered their way to the final on the back of a rampaging Jonah Lomu. However, South Africa skipper Francois Pienaar and the Springboks stunned their New Zealand counterparts, many of whom had been struck down with food poisoning on the eve of the match. An extra time drop goal from Joel Stransky sealed the win at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.

Better times would follow in 1996 under new coach John Hart as Fitzpatrick led New Zealand to their first-ever series victory in South Africa.
During the 1997 end of year tour of Europe it became clear that Fitzpatrick was losing his fitness battle with a worsening knee injury limiting him to a supporting role and subsequently he called time on his career at the age of 34.

He played all his provincial rugby, a total of 127 matches, for Auckland who claimed the NPC title a remarkable eight times between 1987 and 1996. He also represented the Blues in the Super 12 as they captured the prestigious title in its first two seasons in 1996 and 1997.

He was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit in 1997. Not a bad way to top off his 8 National Provincial Championships, 2 Log wins, 2 Super Rugby titles, 9 Bledisloe Cups, 2 Tri Nations titles and one World Cup.

Sample footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXi078jPfFQ

Great to see Bryn's name still remembered. Fantastic player...! Sits well alongside two other great players.

Hi,George just commenting for the sake of it,I have gone with Sean FitzPatrick as an All Black fan.BUT the usual cavaets apply Ron Hemi and "Dad Young"were more than the equal of Bryn Meredith in ALL hookers roles plus they were buzz bombs as a 4th Loose forward.
Meredith was indeed THE Best NH Hooker of his era and should have been first choice for Lions1959.BUT you could hardly leave out the Lions Captain Dawson another capable hooker.
.With a better goal kicker and a little more luck with injuries THEY could have been the first Lions side to win in NZ.
Andy Dalton was team captain 1987 RWC NOT as incorrectly stated David Kirk and was also a top hooker/Forward.
"Fitzy" was indeed a Great hooker/forward/Captain BUT with NO Boks the ABs were by some margin the Worlds Best

There discarding the traditional ruck because of anticipated refs decisions on "Rucking " in the NH .Replacing it with the "Driving Rolling Maul" which would often go 30/40 metres before it was stopped.Then under the then laws the Scrum went to team going forward in the Maul,the AB`s had a very strong Scrum.
This tactic meant nearly 4 years unbeaten no other RWC winning side has come close to that.So successful was it the IRB changed the Laws to partially negate it.

I loved watching Wood play. He looked like a stick of white Rexona sport on speed.

But can't overlook Fitzpatrick. The man had no weaknesses. Great lineout thrower, rock solid in the scrum, great power and quite a bit of speed and loved to hang out on the wing. Not to mention being one of the most annoying players for the opposition but in the days of rucking always took his punishment when he was caught on the wrong side. Never retaliated and was an inspirational leader. One of the greatest ABs and certainly one of our best captains. Wasn't from Canterbury but nobody's perfect and I don't mean John Eales.

He complained a bit when someone bit his ear!

A Hore...

is not the greatest hooker?...please....

Can't see past Fitzy to be honest, as much as I enjoyed watching Wood play.

It's hard, only knowing of Bryn Meredith by reputation. I find it hard to choose between Wood and Fitzpatrick, but perhaps because it is easier to shine in a team like the ABs of Fitzpatrick's era, I'd go for Wood.

I wish that I'd got to this when selection was going on. No Uli Schmidt, Bobby Windsor, Philippe Dintrans, Colin Deans or Peter Wheeler as candidates? Nice to see Meredith here, however. Schmidt would have been my pick; instead, my vote will go to Wood, since Fitzpatrick's position was actually the little known one of hooker/referee, a position which I think he only filled half well.

I cannot vote as Garin Jenkins is not on the list

Scarpia wrote:I cannot vote as Garin Jenkins is not on the list

I am not familiar with him

How is his work around the park?