Andrew Mehrtens is regarded as one of the greatest players New Zealand has ever produced.
He made 70 appearances, winning five Tri-Nations titles as well as featuring in the 1995 World Cup final when the All Blacks were narrowly beaten by South Africa in that iconic game in Johannesburg. At club level, he was instrumental in the Crusaders’ hat-trick of Super 12 triumphs between 1998 and 2000.
Lying second behind Dan Carter on the list of most points scored for the All Blacks, Mehrtens’ strong kicking game and ability to deliver dart-like accurate passes saw him evolve into one of the game’s most influential playmakers before his retirement in 2007.
With New Zealand going from strength-to-strength with a new star No10 born in Beauden Barrett, Sport360 caught up with the 43-year-old at the Dubai Rugby Sevens’ Long Lunch.
Saturday’s win over South Africa sealed a record 17 consecutive wins for the All Blacks. Is there an argument to suggest that the current team is better than the side that won the World Cup just 12 months ago?
It’s hard to say. It’s only been a few months and they’ve been developing this group for so long, so anyone can step in at any moment. They’ve lost a huge amount of experience and ability with the five or six hundred Test cap veterans that have retired.
I think they are a different side in the way they are putting the acid on teams a lot more than the past few years. For the opposition there is no respite, they don’t get to relax for a couple of phases. They are ruthless when they see an opportunity, and when they get it, they can exploit it.
They go through a 15 minute stage in games when they sense the opposition is fatiguing, or a little bit flat, and that’s when they really up their game and score two-three tries and put the game beyond doubt. It’s simple rugby at an incredible velocity.
New Zealand’s successful Rugby Championship campaign further cemented Beauden Barrett as the best player in the world at the moment. How good is he?
Barrett has grown a lot. It’s a role that suits his game a lot better. I still like Aaron Cruden and Lima Sopoaga who are probably better game organisers, whereas Barrett brings his own game and it fits into the team profile.
He’s so fast and the guys around him just react to him. I think the game they are playing suits him a lot more to the way the All Blacks were playing a couple of years ago.
He’s got that authority and composure that you look for in your team. You look for that constant voice to bring out the confidence in the guys around you. He swoops on every opportunity, reads the game well and has got incredible pace.
What is the secret to the All Blacks’ consistent success?
I think the basic skills are done at such a high level. The passing accuracy is crucial to the All Blacks game, the speed of the ball and tempo of play. The team that beats them is the team that can control the tempo better than the All Blacks can.
With the depth of positions, there is competition for places and they are working hard on their game day in, day out to become better players and better athletes. They are producing consistent, excellent performances week-in, week-out and they are just doing the simple things really well, and just building on what they’ve developed over the last seven or eight years.
Some have suggested the Rugby Championship was dull to watch unless you supported New Zealand. Why do you think South Africa and Australia struggled?
Australia are re-building and won’t be too concerned. Michael Cheika is trying to build a culture and some depth in their squad. It may take them a little more time, but by next year, I think you will start to see signs of depth in their rugby.
South Africa didn’t do anything modern. They looked like they went back to the 1960’s, throwing the ball out and kicking it. They don’t seem to know what their modern game is.
They are big, physical guys and they could be getting a lot more out of themselves, but they have looked very limited recently. They are always going to be a strong physical threat, but I don’t think they are embracing the modern game at the moment, like England for example.
The Lions Tour takes place next year and the visitors haven’t beaten the All Blacks since 1971. Will that record continue?
It’s going to be a fantastic series. Some media in New Zealand are suggesting it’s going to be a walkover for the All Blacks which I think is absolutely absurd. The Lions will be an incredibly well coached team. It will be an amazing event for the sport and it shows how much enjoyment people get out of touring.
I think going forward for the sport we need to look at a way the global season comes in and these sorts of tours can be scheduled more methodically.
It would be nice for the All Blacks to be doing a tour of South Africa every 12 years or so, same with Australia, and the same with the Northern Hemisphere teams.
I think there are ways you can structure that over a 12-16 year cycle where you get the effect of having a full tour, of having an international team going into a country and playing against different regional sides, which the Lions will be doing playing the Super Rugby teams next June. I’m really hopeful World Rugby can work this out over the longer term.
The Dubai Rugby Sevens is the opening round of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens World Series and takes place between December 1-3. To book your tickets visit www.dubairugby7s.com
