HARDNESS is a difficult quality to define but considerably easier to recognise.

When you consider the merits of various footballing 'hard men' today it might do to imagine how they would cope if they had to play rugby.

And then there is Ante Rajkovic.

He let his actions speak for him. And what actions they were.

His Yugoslav team-mate Dzemal Hadziabdic believed Ante was the best player — not just the best defender — in the old Division One.

As strong as an ox and as tough as old boots, Ante could have been hewn out of the Balkan mountains.

But he was skilful, too.

Surprisingly quick over short distances, he was rarely beaten for pace by the First Division's finest attackers.

And while not as graceful as, say, Alan Hansen, he would often ghost forward past opponents with the ball at his feet.

He knew his limitations, though, and he never overdid his dribbling.

Just a little burst to get himself out of trouble, and then a neat offload to one of the fancy dans of the team.

He was certainly not one of football's natural strikers, borne out by the fact that he scored just two goals in his 80 appearances for the Swans.

The fact that he spoke little English added to his mystique.

One of the abiding memories of the great man is from a game against West Ham at the Vetch in the First Division.

The Hammers had a big bruiser of a centre-forward called David Cross, an awkward customer with the physical presence to carry it off.

Cross and Rajkovic collided early on, a challenge that left Ante requiring some minor treatment from the physio.

He got up and jogged over to Cross about 20 yards away. No histrionics, no finger pointing, just a quiet word man to man.

But whatever Ante said in his limited English had the desired effect.

Cross retreated into midfield and never came near Ante for the rest of the game.

He was a real hard man.