Kees Meeuws is a former professional rugby player with a career spanning 20 years representing the All Blacks, Highlanders, Blues and three-seasons in France.
Meeuws was seen as one of the toughest props in the game and was a figure-head for New Zealand Rugby with his time at the All Blacks from 1998 - 2004. His physical style of play and uncompromising ability to dominate his opposition in the scrum was the cornerstone of his game. A strong connection to Maori culture meant he had a significant impact on the team environment and the development of All Black Haka as we see it today.
This Podcast is our first masterclass into the world of being a front-rower and what that means. Here are some of the highlights from our chat:
- The art of scrummaging against teammates and picking the brains of world-class coaches to become one of the best to ever do it
- How he approached his first training session with the All Blacks
- His post-career learning and his thoughts on the world of professional commentary and the challenges he faced with dealing with the general public
I played in the backs my entire career but on this episode, I absolutely loved going deep into the world of the front row with Kees. The detail and how obsessed Meeuws became with being one of the best props in the world is something we can all learn from. If you know anyone playing or coaching scrums send them this episode because as a front-rower it's one you don't want to miss out on.
FULL SHOW NOTES
Episode Sponsor: RB Wolf + Rugby Bricks Kicking Tee
(1:47) (46:33) Wayne “Buck” Shelford, Former All Black
(2:42) Jonah Lomu, All Time Great All Black
(2:55) Anton Oliver, Carl Hayman - Kees’ Teammates
(3:03) (33:38) Mike Cron, Former All Blacks Scrum Coach
(3:38) Nico Sanchez, Aaron Cruden - International Rugby Kickers Using the RB Wolf +
(5:31) Dunedin House Prices Skyrocketing, Otago Daily Times
(8:01) Kees’ 2003 Super Rugby Win With the Blues
(8:29) Graham Henry, Legendary Rugby Coach
(8:35) Peter Sloane, Former Blues Coach
(8:39) Grant Fox, Former Blues Coach
(8:47) King Carlos (Carlos Spencer), Mils Muliaina, Joe Rokococo - Former Blues and All Blacks
(9:44) Tony Brown, Former and Current Highlanders Coach
- Tony Brown on the Rugby Bricks Podcast
(12:39) Xavier Rush, Former Blues and All Black Player
(13:28) Tony Woodcock, Kevin Mealamu - Former Blues and All Blacks
(13:54) Deacon Manu, John Afoa Former Blues
(14:50) Derren Witcombe, Former Blue
(19:34) (23:46) Kees’ All Blacks Debut, All Blacks vs Wallabies Tri Nations 1998
(20:43) Doug Howlett, Former All Black
(21:43) Olo Brown, Former All Black Prop
(28:36) (35:12) Carl Hayman - Former Highlander
(30:10) Os Du Randt, Springboks Legend
(34:58) Robbie Deans, John Mitchell - Former All Blacks Coaches
(36:20) Nic Henderson, Former Brumbies Player
(37:07) Carl Hoeft, Former Highlander
(38:06) Joe McDonnell, Former Highlanders
(42:26) Kelston Wrestling Club
(44:58) Jonah Lomu, All Time Great All Black
(45:51) Ron Cribb, Troy Flavell, Doug Howlett, Joe Rokococo, Xavier Rush, Adrian Cashmore - Former Super Rugby Players
(46:38) Sean Fitzpatrick, Michael Jones, Kevin Taituha Nepia - New Zealand Rugby Greats
(52:35) John Lesley, Brendon Timmins, Michael Mika - Former Highlanders (1998 Old Guard)
(52:41) John Blakie, Simon Mailing, Anton Oliver, Taine Randell, Josh Kronfeld, Reuben Parkinson (1998 Otago Younger Boys)
(53:03) Otago Wins the 1998 NPC
(54:04) Tony Gilbert, Des Smith, Phil Young, Super Rugby Coaches
(55:03) Brendon Laney, Romi Romati
(54:05) Tony Gilbert, Des Smith(56:21) 1998 NPC Final Highlights
(59:48) Grant Nisbit, Scotty Stevenson - Rugby Commentators
(1:03:10) Mils Muliaina, Christian Cullen - Former Rugby Players Turned Commentators
(1:17:01) Saatchi and Saatchi Wellington
More About Kees
- Extra Interview With Sportz Sandwich
- Bayley’s Real Estate Profile
- The Rugby Site Coaching Videos With Kees
- Blues Profile
- ESPN Rugby Career Statistics