Former All Blacks captain Jerry Collins, who has died in a car crash in France, is remembered as one of New Zealand's toughest players but also a misunderstood and complex personality.
Collins, 34, and his partner Alana were killed near the town of Beziers in southern France, near where he was playing for French second division club Narbonne.
The one-time rubbish collector became nicknamed "Hitman" and "The Terminator" for his bone-jarring tackles, and had controversial moments on and off the field.
Greg Peters, who was Collins' boss at Wellington and Hurricanes rugby outfits before taking southern hemisphere rugby's top job as chief executive of SANZAR, has encapsulated how Collins will be remembered by many.
"Jerry Collins is an undisputed legend of the game for Wellington, the Hurricanes and the All Blacks," Peters said.
"He inspired all of those around him with his passion and love for the game throughout a highly decorated career for club and country.
"A complex character who was sometimes misunderstood, Jerry was a wonderful person who will be sadly missed by all who knew him."
Samoa-born and Wellington-raised, Collins made his All Blacks debut against Argentina aged 20 in June 2001, and went on to play 48 Tests for New Zealand, three as captain.
The blindside flanker scored five tries in his six-year career, playing his last Test against France at Cardiff in October 2007.
New Zealand Rugby's website described Collins, cousin of former All Blacks captain Tana Umaga, as a tough and uncompromising forward.
"His ferocious tackling and intimidating presence made him feared by every opponent."
Collins was part of the New Zealand under-19 team who won the world junior Championship in 1999, and began his provincial career the same year, going on to play 47 games for Wellington.
He began his Super Rugby career with the Hurricanes in 2001, and played 74 games for the franchise before bowing out in 2008.
Collins played for Toulon in 2008-09 season, going on to play the following two seasons for Welsh club Ospreys.
He joined Yamaha in Japan's Top League for two seasons, and in January this year signed as injury cover with Racing Club Narbonne.
He had retired from the game two years earlier when finishing up with Japanese club Yamaha.
Around that time the enigmatic side of Collins surfaced when he was incarcerated briefly in a Japanese police cell after being arrested in an upmarket department store for carrying two knives.
He was released after agreeing to pay a fine of 150,000 yen ($A1,568).
Collins said he got into a misunderstanding with a local gang believed to be made up of Brazilian expats and was carrying the knives because he feared for his life.
