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TRIBUTES flowed from politicians Wholesale Hockey Jerseys , former teammates and current players yesterday as New Zealand mourned the death of All Blacks great Colin Meads at the age of 81 following a battle with pancreatic cancer.


Meads, who in 1999 was named New Zealand’s greatest rugby player of the 20th Century, was diagnosed with cancer last year and died in hospital in his home town of Te Kuiti yesterday.


In a sign of his importance to the people of the rugby-mad nation, his death was announced by Prime Minister Bill English. “This is a sad day for New Zealand rugby and for New Zealand,” English said in the statement. “He represented what it means to be a New Zealander. He was no-nonsense, reliable Wholesale Adidas NHL Jerseys , hardworking, warm and very generous with his time.”


His family issued their own statement through New Zealand Rugby, expressing their thanks for the expressions of sympathy from the local community and from rugby fans worldwide.


Meads, nicknamed as ‘Pinetree’ at an early age, was renowned for his toughness and uncompromising attitude in an international playing career that spanned 14 years. He played 133 games for the All Blacks and even if only 55 of them were tests, that was still a record for the national team.


The rangy lock came to epitomize the stereotypical no-nonsense All Blacks forward but was also lauded for pace and ball-handling skills that were rarely seen in tight forwards of his day.


Meads died the day after the world champions All Blacks had opened their Rugby Championship campaign with a 54-34 victory over Australia and the team expressed its sorrow from Sydney.


“This is an incredibly sad day Wholesale Authentic NHL Jerseys ,” All Blacks captain Kieran Read said. “Sir Colin was an icon of our game.”


Coach Steve Hansen said: “His achievements in the black jersey are part of the All Blacks legacy.”


BAGHDAD, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Kurdish RegionalGovernment (KRG) on Saturday denied the reports about postponingthe independence referendum scheduled on Sept. 25.


"The reports about the Kurdish parties accepted the U.S. and UNinitiatives and postponed the referendum, are not true," anofficial from the regional Presidential Office told reporters.


The Kurdish official said that Pavel Talabani, the son of formerPresident Jalal Talabani who was earlier quoted by the medialreports as announcing the postponement, was only expressing hispersonal opinion.


Earlier Wholesale NHL Jerseys Online , the Iraqi state-run Iraqiya channel said in a breakingnews that the Kurdish parties decided to postpone the independencereferendum, quoting Pavel Talabani, who is a senior member of thePatriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).


"After reviewing all of the alternatives, we (PUK and KDP, twomain Kurdish parties) have concluded that the program offered bythe United States, Britain Wholesale NHL Jerseys Cheap , United Nations and so many otherfriends around the world, is the best path for Kurdistan at thistime," Talabani was quoted as saying.


The KDP refers to the Kurdistan Democratic Party, led by KRGPresident Masoud Barzani, who is leading the campaign to hold theindependence referendum.


Meanwhile, the Kurdistan Region's High Council for Referendumalso issued a statement on Saturday to refute the rumors about thepostponement of the referendum.


The council reiterated that the plebiscite would be held asscheduled on Monday Wholesale NHL Jerseys From China , the Kurdistan 24 reported.


On June 7, Barzani announced his intention to hold a referendumon the independence of the Kurdish region from Iraq on Sept.25.


This is opposed by Iraqi central government in Baghdad and theinternational community, especially Iraq's neighboring countriessuch as Iran, Turkey and Syria.


The three countries fear the move would not only undermine theterritorial integrity of Iraq, but also threaten their own securityas there is a huge Kurdish population in their countries.


The Iraqi government has warned that it is ready to intervenemilitarily if the referendum leads to violence