NEW Zealand legends Sir Colin Meads and Wayne ‘Buck’ Shelford will be the guest speakers at a buffet dinner held at Crumlin Rugby Football Club on Friday, November 8.

All Blacks icon Sir Colin is regarded by many as one of the greatest players of all time.

The winner of 55 caps between 1957 and 1971, the second row was named the country’s Player of the Century at the New Zealand Rugby Football Union Awards dinner in 1999.

Nicknamed ‘Pine Tree’ because of his enormous size, he was a key player in the All Blacks’ dominant sides of the sixties but was on the losing side to Newport when they were famously beaten 3-0 at Rodney Parade in 1963.

Inaugural World Cup winner Shelford won the first of his 22 caps for the All Blacks in 1986 against France in a 19-7 victory in Toulouse.

The ferocious number eight was a notable victim in the infamous ‘Battle of Nantes’ in the subsequent second Test where he suffered a horrendous groin injury, lost fourth teeth and was concussed.

Apparently, and hardly surprisingly, he remembers nothing of the game which France won 16-3.

During the 1987 World Cup the All Blacks and Shelford got their revenge by beating the French 29-9 in the final at Auckland’s Eden Park.

Many Welshmen will never forget the humiliating 49-6 defeat they suffered at the hands of New Zealand in the semi-final and the sight of Neath’s Huw Richards being sent off three minutes from time after he was poleaxed by Shelford who somehow escaped any sanction from Australian referee Kerry Fitzgerald.

After scrum half David Kirk lifted the World Cup Shelford took over the New Zealand captaincy and during his stewardship, until 1990, the All Blacks did not lose a single game.

The evening at Crumlin RFC starts at 7.30pm and will include a buffet, tales of past eras, a live question and answer session, raffle and an auction.

The host is Blaina’s Phil Kingsley Jones, former manager and mentor of 1990s All Blacks sensation Jonah Lomu.

Tables of 10 are available at £300 with a quantity of individual covers on shared tables also available at £30 per head.

To book, call Ron Shallish on 07971 446934.