JOHN MITCHELL, writing on the Vodacom Rugby Portal, pays a moving tribute to the late Jerry Collins.

Jerry Collins died too young, but did more during his 34 years than most do in a lifetime. He lived life to the fullest and made the most of the time he was afforded. He was a great person and player.

I first worked with Jerry on the All Blacks’ end-of-year tour in 2001. We boasted a number of high quality loose forwards, but no one was extraordinary at Number 8. He ended up moving from blindside flank to No 8 which is not an easy transition, because you have to increase your work-rate as you are hunting the openside flank. In my opinion, players like Collins and Duane Vermeulen can be used anywhere in your attacking framework, because they can put a dent in the defensive line.

Read the rest of Mitchell's column