But rugby fans will have plenty to remember him for. There’s the small matter of 132 Tests for starters, a record that began back in Cardiff on November 23, 2002.There’re also the 12 Test tries he scored and that’s not to forget 175 Super Rugby games, 65 games for Auckland and a non-Test appearance for the All Blacks for a minimum of 373 first-class games.

His career hardly seemed to have started when he was on the receiving end of a full-on punch flush in his face from Australian marker Brendan Cannon in the Tri Nations/Bledisloe Cup opener in Wellington in July 2004. The pair spent 10 minutes in the sin-bin and 12 months later Mealamu’s involvement in the tackle which ended captain Brian O’Driscoll’s British and Irish Lions tour threatened to undo much of the good that had developed around his career.

However, there was plenty in a much more positive vein in his career and we list six significant moments which encapsulated the Mealamu approach in Test rugby:

November 8, 2003, v South Africa (World Cup), Melbourne

New Zealand were up 16-6 and battling to break loose from South Africa when Mealamu emerged from a maul about 30m out from the Springboks’ goal-line. Up against two lumbering Bok tight five forwards, Mealamu unleashed his speed, stepped his way between the defenders and into space before putting on the sprint to outdo the defence to put the issue beyond doubt with the try.

Sitting back in retirement one game, apart from the World Cup finals he played in, that may rank high in Mealamu’s memory would be the 31-27 win over the Springboks at Carisbrook. The game is probably best remembered for the introduction of the Kapa O Pango haka but for Mealamu there were two key plays in the close win. The first was when he cleaned up the failed take of fullback Percy Montgomery of an Aaron Mauger punt. Securing the ball and running with his bent staple style, Mealamu fended off three defenders, found space and flicked the ball to first five-eighths Leon MacDonald who scored. But even more importantly, when down 24-27 and into the final quarter, the All Blacks drove long and hard at the South African line. Slowly but surely the All Blacks maintained control of their maul. Then, all of a sudden, jumping out of the side of the maul faster than anyone had managed since Ian Kirkpatrick against the Lions back in 1971, Mealamu emerged with the ball and, running low enough to plough the turf with his nose, he got under the Springbok defenders to score.

Seemingly unable to keep himself out of the newsreel highlights clips, Mealamu was at it again a week later as New Zealand were struggling to contain an Australian side, who couldn’t win the Tri series but who could deny the All Blacks. Leading 27-24, the All Blacks got their vital break when Australian fullback Drew Mitchell dropped a high ball from Mils Muliaina, the New Zealand fullback. The forwards were onto it in a flash and it was Mealamu who flipped the ball over the defenders for wing Doug Howlett to score his third try of the game to give New Zealand a 34-24 win.

No All Blacks team wants to lose to England but in 2005 they did their best to help the home side when playing 30 minutes of the second half with 14 men as yellow cards were conceded by Tony Woodcock, Neemia Tialata and Chris Masoe. But it was another from-the-maul try by Mealamu that gave New Zealand vital breathing space and a 20-10 lead as England stormed home and finished on attack before the All Blacks finally claimed a 23-19 victory.August 16, 2008, v South Africa (Tri Nations), Cape Town

Among the various triumphs of modern All Blacks history, the 2008 Tri Nations game in Cape Town has a special place. There have been the blockbuster Test matches vying for the title of ‘greatest of all time’ such as in 2013 at Ellis Park but for long-time All Blacks fans, there was much to savour in this contest. It was the first time since 1891 that South Africa had failed to score in a Test match on home soil. It was an impressive 19-0 triumph by the All Blacks and it was in a moment of sheer desperation from South Africa that Mealamu was on hand to score what would probably rank as the easiest try of his career. Jean de Villiers was attempting to get the ball out of the South African 22m area when he threw a long pass, straight into Mealamu’s grateful arms and the hooker made no bones in getting to the goal-line to score before anyone could stop him.

It doesn’t pay to upset the All Blacks, but Australia had managed that when achieving a win at their fourth attempt in 2010 by claiming a last minute 26-24 win in Hong Kong. Mealamu had his own reasons to remember that game when getting over the line but not able to get the ball down. The following season, ahead of the Rugby World Cup, New Zealand were firmly focused on the job ahead when lining up for the Bledisloe Cup-Tri Nations opener. They ensured they would not lose hold of the Bledisloe Cup by thumping the visitors 30-14 at Eden Park. Mealamu controlled the middle of the field that night by setting up ruck after ruck. It was after one such set up that he got back up and enjoyed a goal-line ruck in perfect body position to pick up the ball drive under the defence for a trade mark try.