There really was only one Liam Coltman.
He is fourth on the list of most appearances for the Highlanders and you have to think he is also in the top 10 for the club’s biggest cult heroes.
‘‘Colty’’ was a loyal, durable and powerful hooker who threw his body into contact every opportunity he got and contributed mightily to a fine era for the Highlanders.
Through it all, that famous smile - in the middle of one of the great New Zealand rugby beards - never seemed to leave his face.
‘‘It was always fun to go to work,’’ Coltman grinned when he gave his farewell interview.
‘‘I enjoyed every day. I never thought I would have all the wonderful opportunities in life that my rugby career has given me, and I am just so grateful to have had them.’’
Coltman was his own man, but his story cannot be told without mentioning fellow hooker Ash Dixon.
The pair formed one of the great combinations in the No 2 and No 16 jerseys, and while Dixon was the better lineout thrower and would get more starts in later years, Coltman was the main man in the championship 2015 season, and he scored a try in the win over the Lions in 2017.
Coltman was not a man to beat his own chest.
He came south from New Plymouth, not with any great ambition to get to the top level of rugby but simply to study physical education and check out the Dunedin life.
Back then, he was a prop, but he flourished after specialising at hooker, making the New Zealand colts and serving an apprenticeship with Alhambra-Union and Otago before graduating to the Highlanders in 2013.
Coltman was a devoted family man, and it was obvious where he got that from.
‘‘Come ON, Liam’’ became a familiar sound at Forsyth Barr Stadium as father Tom, who made an 18-hour road trip from rural Taranaki for every Highlanders game, bellowed his support.
Coltman junior was on the fringes of the All Blacks for a couple of seasons before making his debut against Italy in Rome in 2016.
He finished with eight caps before joining French club Lyon. A stint in Major League Rugby was followed by two NPC seasons back with Otago, and he now plays for the Canon Eagles in Japan.
