Mehrts: ‘No-one wants a divorce’

Given Andrew Mehrtens has a foot on each side of the Tasman these days, he’s ideally suited to offering marriage guidance counselling to the feuding rugby bosses of Australia and New Zealand.

The record-breaking All Black is now based in Sydney and works extensively for Aussie broadcaster Stan Sport as part of its commentary and analysis team.

And in an interview with Stuff’s Marc Hinton today, he explains the two countries’ rugby relationship is somewhat like a marriage under strain, with a form of mediation probably required to find a way forward.

Right now, relations between New Zealand Rugby and their counterparts at Rugby Australia are strained, to say the least. Depending on who you listen to, the partnership is either tense or at breaking point, with the potential for disagreement to turn to dissolution.

What’s clear is that NZ

Rugby generates close to $60 million a year more than the Australians through their broadcasting agreements, and RA wants that imbalance corrected or – as RA chairman Hamish McLennan would have it – they’ll ‘‘go it alone’’.

‘‘I am confident there is a solution there,’’ Mehrtens tells Stuff. ‘‘It feels a little like, not quite toxic, but a marriage with some tension, with blame flying, and maybe each side not listening to the other’s perspective.

‘‘Both partners know they need the other, nobody wants the divorce, but within that, both parties want to do what’s best for themselves . . . It’s almost like we need a really good independent mediator who says, ‘guys, this is what’s fair’.

‘‘It’s what it feels like. There is acceptance that we have mutual interests, and there needs to be compromise on both sides. At the moment it’s like both sides to a marriage going into the first counselling session and pointing the finger at each other.’’

Mehrtens believes a common ground will eventually be found, even if it takes some toing and froing between the two parties.

‘‘Both sides, and maybe more Australia at times, are using media to put certain narratives out there, and sometimes it sounds a lot more combative than what it is behind closed doors. We’ve seen how strong public opinion in New Zealand can be with the debate around the [All Blacks] coaching the last few months, and there is a bit of media manipulation going on there.’’

But Mehrtens also warns that the trans-Tasman partners need to sort their differences quickly.

‘‘I genuinely believe there is a solution there

and hopefully it gets found sooner rather later, because while we’re seeing bickering over here, the northern hemisphere is going from strength to strength. Their domestic competitions are strong, and they’re now integrating more with South Africa.

‘‘The north is a strong alliance, a strong voting block in world rugby, and if we don’t get it together over here we risk being left out in the cold. So we have to build relationships because the brand strength of the All Blacks isn’t enough these days to take us as far as it might have previously. We’ve got to learn to play nicely with the other kids.’’