Your call on the return of Mehrtens

Wednesday August 11 2004

'NZ now resemble England in their denunciation of the tryline'

It seems the whole world has an opinion on who should occupy the black No.10 jersey of New Zealand, and the decision to replace Carlos Spencer with Andrew Mehrtens has sent our readers into a veritable tizzy. Spencer just couldn't hack it out there, apparently - and his Haka wasn't up to scratch either...

'ABOUT BLOODY TIME!'

"Bringing Andrew Mehrtens into the starting XV was past due. He has been in excellent form of late. However, removing Carlos Spencer from the line-up altogether is a bit much.

"His attacking prowess could also be well-served by deploying him at fullback in place of Mils Muliaina. Allowing him to focus purely on the attack instead of being responsible for spreading the ball around would make the All Blacks backline that much more lethal.

"Plus, Mehrtens is the best out-of-hand kicker in the game, so it'd be a win-win proposition for the All Blacks all the way around."
- Allen Beasley, USA

"I think it's about time he got dropped. I mean, being a Wallaby supporter, I shouldn't even care less, but I have always admired the way Mehrtens has remained focused and keeping his cool and ultimately he has been rewarded.

"King Carlos is a great player, but unless they get the backline deeper, he won't be able to work his magic. It's an undeniable fact and everyone knows it, it's just nobody in the All Blacks camp admits.

"And also, I think Carlos is only second to Caleb Ralph as the worst person to ever lead the Haka! Being of Samoan origin, I love these pre-match war-crys and Carlos Spencer is no way near as threatening as a Taine Randell or a Buck Shelford.

"I hope Kees Meeuws leads the Haka this weekend because he is one mean machine when he performs it."
- Brian Kolia, Sydney

"'King' Carlos, eh? A more complete player than Wilkinson, eh? So how come tired old Mehrts is dredged up to replace him when the AB backline is so talented surely only an idiot could fail to give it enough ball from fly-half to wreak havoc?

"Carlos is not a one-trick pony, but is he a Test halfback? His skills are fabulous, his vision jaw-dropping, but would a Harlem Globetrotter make it into a top NBA team?

"In tight tests his maverick approach in attack has meant disjointed backline play, and his defence has always been extremely poor for a Test player (not to mention his recent efforts to reinvent himself as a cheap shot merchant).

"Henry might be overreacting by dethroning the 'King' from the 22 entirely, but it is a tacit admission that Carlos' Super 12 bombast - honed on fast, hard pitches during open games and lots of space - does not easily translate to success at the highest level in the Test arena where defences are sharper, tighter and better."
- Robert Cross, London

"You can't say that dropping Spencer was unexpected - its true that he was  pretty poor against Oz and even staunch supporters like Wayne Smith / Henry Graham had to axe him.

"I don't think the new flat formation helped him but in truth I think he would have struggled anyway as his defence is often very shaky (how many tackles does he shirk out of?) and he can make serious errors under pressure. However everybody knows that he's a maverick and Henry and co might rue not having him around to bring off the bench for that X factor.

"I think that Mehrtens will take his chance with both hands and play well though, he's still a classy player, new formation or not.

"However, like  Spencer, how secure is his defence? These kind of doubts were raised in the first place as a reason why he shouldn't be back in black a year or so ago.

"Overall though i think he may well be a match-winner for the ABs v SA. It'll be a long way back for Spencer if Mehrts impresses, as Henry has already mentioned A Mauger as a replacement fly half and of course there's Nick Evans, who ultimately sees himself as a No 10. They'll be happy about that down in Canterbury no doubt though, not being the greatest fans of Spencer!"
- David, Lincs

"Understandable. Even though Spencer is extremely talented, he is also extremely inconsistent. He can win a match with a touch of brilliance, or go missing like he did in the RWC2003 semi against Australia.

"The AB's need some stability at fly-half, not some erratic player who runs away when the chips are down."
- William Chaytor

"Go St Andrew! Go go go! You are the last solution. Thank you, Spencer - and goodbye... Prediction: South Africa 17 NZ 32."
- Patrick Laval, France

"In one word, 'finally'! With all respect to Spencer's talents, Mehrtens should have been in the All Black team during the last World Cup. 

"Both Australia and New Zealand are long time foes, and its patiently obvious that the All Black attack has - at best - been a blunt instrument against the Wallaby defence for several years.

"Mehrtens's football arsenal is a lot broader than Spencer's. His kicking game, was, the best in the world. His passes to the 2nd five-eight or out-side centre, are, at least, half to a whole second faster than Spencer.  Some of Spencer's 'floating' passes in the last couple of games are hospital incidents waiting to happen. 

"The inability of New Zealand to get the ball to the wings fast-enough is part of the reason why their attack is so flat, and why their backs appear to be impotent.

"Please, please, give Mehrtens a couple of full games to get match fit.  This coming game with South Africa, even if New Zealand doesn't win, will be the perfect opportunity for Mehrtens to become match fit - I have the next World Cup on my mind."
- Gaius King, Perth, Western Australia

"I am not convinced over Andrew Mehrtens - Cameron McIntyre started ahead of him most of the year [at the Crusaders] and for obvious reasons.  Carlos Spencer is not to blame and does not deserve the drop, particularly when this coach induced attacking strategy (or lack there of) is the shambles. 

"Simon Maling should not be in the squad at all - he adds absolutely nothing beyond his adequate line-out work.
 
"NZ now resemble England in their denunciation of the tryline. Has anybody noted Australia's style of play over the last 10 years - perfect! 

"They have the right players in the right positions and seem to negate all this complex build of 8 players picking,  rucking,  mauling,  and doing whatever for the nil accomplishment. 

"There has been too much criticism and neglect of the Super 12 - and NZ has paid a deer price in stark contrast to SA and AUS."
- Stuart Smith,  Ottawa

"If Carter can't play then I think the choice is easy ... We cannot afford to enter into a game as important as this, without a top class kicker. 

"Sorry Carlos, I'm a big supporter but we need those 3 pointers - they seem to be our bread and butter these days!"
- Joanna Love

"Mehrtens is much better under pressure than Spencer, and the ABs are under a lot of pressure. The Sydney scoreline flattered them. They look worse on hard, dry grounds than they did in NZ.

"The dry conditions in Jo'burg should make the South African rush defence even more dangerous and will advantage their fast loose forwards. NZ will need a fly-half with excellent judgment and a cool head. Spencer is not that man."
- Steve Rotherham, Australia

"Why doesn't Henry use a similar back line strategy as the ABs used during the World Cup and keep his current forwards? 

"During the World Cup the NZ backs were clinical, scoring numerous tries - the back three scored a hateful each.  The semi final loss was due to the forwards not holding their own and not winning enough quick ball. 

"So with an improved pack (although Holah did struggle against pilferers Smith and Waugh on Saturday) and sharp backs there are more tries to be scored.

"Spencer has not got to grips with the flat attack, but to be demoted out of the 22 is a heavy fall.  Against a tough Bok pack with flying flankers, the ABs are in for a hard game on Saturday."
- Scottie, Englishman in Oz

"About bloody time!"
- Neil M, New Zealand

"All I can say is about time for Andrew, now bring back Brad Thorn for a bit more ruggedness in the forwards - I think getting Aaron Mauger in the reserves is also a good idea."
- Peter Goodall

"This is a terrible idea. The flat backline was a disaster (supporting evidence? Just two tries in the Tri-Nations so far) because Spencer couldn't create, Umaga couldn't hit holes with any pace, and Carter couldn't work any magic in the centres.

"Now, just when Henry seems to be realising his mistake, he goes with a less creative fly-half. It seems to me that Mehrtens would have done just as poorly as Spencer in the flat back scheme, but King Carlos would have been a far better choice in a standard attack.

"I'm pretty convinced that South Africa is going to eat Mehrtens and the All Blacks alive this weekend."
- Josh Rubin, Michigan, USA