The Profile
The rugby career behind the headlines.
Andrew Mehrtens was the All Black fly half during a period when New Zealand were rebuilding after the 1995 World Cup final defeat and before the 2011 World Cup win. Seventy caps, a then world record number of points scored in Test cricket rugby, and a reputation for kicking accuracy under pressure that put him among the best in the professional era.
His Canterbury Crusaders Super Rugby side was one of the most successful franchises in the early years of the professional era, and the half back pairing with Justin Marshall was an institution of that period. He also had a spell in France with Biarritz and in England with Harlequins, which is the career arc a lot of late 1990s and early 2000s international fly halves took.
He has since been a broadcaster for New Zealand rugby and is a thoughtful analyst on fly half play. At Steam, his event was one of the earlier ones we hosted, back in 2023, and the All Black stories from his era hold up as well as any rugby content we have had.
“Fly half is the position where everyone thinks they know what you should have done. You just have to block that out and trust the decision you made in the half second you actually had.”
Career highlights
- 70 All Black caps
- Tri Nations winner multiple times
- Three Super Rugby titles with Canterbury Crusaders
- Rugby World Cup runner up, 1995
- Biarritz and Harlequins career
First hand
Andrew Mehrtens at Steam
Andrew appeared at Steam in March 2023 and the All Black stories from the late 1990s Crusaders era were a highlight of the event.