Andrew Mehrtens

Andrew Philip Mehrtens MNZM (born 28 April 1973) is a New Zealand former rugby union player. He was regarded as a top first five-eighth, having played first for Canterbury in 1993, before being selected for the All Blacks (New Zealand's national team) in 1995 when he played in the 1995 World Cup.

After his move to England, and later to France, he helped his first three clubs to promotion into their country's top flight. He first joined Harlequins in England, where in his first season he played a major factor in leading the freshly relegated club to an immediate return to the top-level Guinness Premiership. After seeing Harlequins successfully through their first season back in the Premiership, he went to the ambitious Pro D2 club Toulon for the 2007–08 season. After Toulon won the title to secure an immediate return to the Top 14, he remained in Pro D2, moving to another ambitious side, Racing Métro. For the second straight season, his team won the Pro D2 crown and a spot in the Top 14.

Mehrtens was born in Durban, South Africa, as his parents lived in South Africa for four years from 1970 and returned to New Zealand when he was still a young child. Mehrtens grew up in Christchurch, attended Christchurch Boys' High School where he played in the 1st XV, and played Junior Grade Rugby for Kaiapoi. He recalled, when he was aged 10, his Kaiapoi team playing a match at Lancaster Park as a curtain raiser to the Ranfurly Shield match between Canterbury and Mid Canterbury. He also represented New Zealand at under-19 and under-21 levels.

Like many players in New Zealand, Mehrtens comes from a family with a long involvement in rugby. His grandfather, George Mehrtens, played for Canterbury in the 1920s as a fullback and was an All Black in unofficial internationals against New South Wales in 1928. His father, Terry, also a first five, represented Canterbury between 1964 and 1976. He was a New Zealand under-23 player in 1965 against the Springboks and again in 1967, and while in South Africa played as a fullback for Natal against the 1970 All Blacks.

New Zealand rugby has had few players who have won such wide popularity and affection as Andrew Mehrtens, who in a 12-year career at first class level became a national figure rather than simply an icon of his Canterbury province.^{[citation needed]} However, there was never total agreement on his ranking in the pecking order of All Black first five-eighths. Some headed by Colin Meads believed that Mehrtens was the best in his position ever produced by New Zealand. Others believed that despite his immense skills, vision, kicking and ability to throw long cut out passes to his outsides he had limitations, especially in the way rugby developed in the professional era. He was seen as lacking the physique or inclination to mix it physically, either taking the ball up or committing himself to the tackle.

Despite his family background Mehrtens only emerged as a rare prospect in his late teens, perhaps because he was a slower developer physically. In his teens Mehrtens showed almost as much promise in tennis, where in various age groups he was nationally ranked.

His first significant rugby selection was in 1992 when he played in the national under 19s against Australia in a side which also included later Crusaders or All Blacks teammates Adrian Cashmore, Norman Berryman, Milton Going, Tabai Matson, Justin Marshall and Taine Randell.

He was first chosen for Canterbury in 1993–94 and in each of those seasons he was in the New Zealand Colts, making his first major impact nationally in the Canterbury side which in 1994 took the Ranfurly Shield from Waikato. His performance that day and in Shield defences later that season against Counties and Otago marked him as a clear All Black prospect.