Andrew Mehrtens

All Blacks first five-eighth and record points scorer.

Andrew Philip Mehrtens (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 in 1995 when he played in the 1995 World Cup.

Quick Facts

Birth name: Andrew Philip Mehrtens
Born: 28 April 1973
Birthplace: Durban, South Africa
School: Christchurch Boys' High School
Relatives: George Mehrtens (grandfather), Reuben Thorne (brother-in-law)
Height: 1.78 m / 5 ft 10 in
Weight: 89 kg / 196 lb
Position: First five-eighth

Lore & Background

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 against the 1970 All Blacks.

Reader's Guide

Mehrtens debuted for the All Blacks in 1995 and made an immediate impact, scoring 28 points against Canada in his Test debut. He featured in the team that played in the 1995 Rugby World Cup final against South Africa. He is currently the second all-time points scorer for the All Blacks, with 967 points (7t, 169c, 188p, 10dg), having been overtaken by Dan Carter on 21 November 2009. He has scored 20 or more points in 13 separate Tests, has scored nine penalties in two separate Tests, and is currently the only player to have scored over 300 points in the Tri Nations Series. His 209 points against South Africa is the most ever by one player against one country; he also occupies third place on that list, with 202 against Australia. Mehrtens is also atop the all-time list for Test conversions, with 167.