
Share
5th June 2015
11:34am BST

Before he laced up, though, he dropped down to watch the Firsts play and took over a coaching session with some Under-14s.
As Squire told the Guardian, back in 2007, Collins was unable to play for the Firsts but was up for the invite to appear for the Seconds in a South West England Division 2 match.
'I told him we had a match coming up and he was welcome to join us, but again I was gobsmacked when he showed up to catch the bus with the rest of the players.' Squire added:
'It was very surreal for the lads as they are all amateurs - most are builders, bricklayers, plumbers and so on. He had even been to a sports store to buy a new pair of boots.'Tom Meek, who lined out for opposition team Newton Abbot, recalled thinking he had handed the 48-times capped All Black off, only to end up 'flat on my face eating grass'. Collins scored a try in a 21-7 win for Barnstaple. For more on this amazing tale, you can check out the full Guardian story here. Given the man's open nature and rugby legacy, it is no surprise, then, to see a host of rugby greats paying tribute to the late All Black. https://twitter.com/BrianODriscoll/status/606707320446427136 https://twitter.com/RyanJonesOnline/status/606707284459290624 https://twitter.com/piriweepu/status/606704054559895552 https://twitter.com/byrney_15/status/606733363848855552
Explore more on these topics: