ALL BLACKS STAR REMEMBERS THE PAIN OF 1995 DEFEAT
New Zealand’s Andrew Mehrtens and England’s Anthony Watson talk about experiencing the ups and downs of the game they love,
One is an All Blacks legend and the other arguably one of the most exciting rugby players England has produced in recent years. But despite playing i n different eras, both Andrew Mehrtens and Anthony Watson recognise rugby’s future is very much in the hands of the kids.
Last Saturday t hey had j ust returned to the Marriott Hotel from a day under the tropical sun with the youngsters of the Bangkok Lions Rugby Club as the school-kids went through their training session at Patana International School.
The two stars found it a most rewarding experience and were keen to relate their thoughts at the BKK Lions reception.
“I really enjoyed it,” said Watson 24, a speedy full-back and winger currently recovering from a frustrating Achilles injury which has kept him out of the England squad currently taking on the Springboks in South Africa. “It was great seeing the kids enjoying themselves so much.”
Mehrtens, 45, a fly-half who earned 70 All Blacks caps and is the secondhighest scorer for his country (behind Dan Carter) with an awesome 967 points, was equally impressed by the youngsters.
“The enthusiasm of the kids is great — and in that heat too,” said the affable Kiwi. “I don’t get to do rugby clinics too often but it was quite an experience.”
The considerable talent of Mehrtens became evident early in his career. After impressive performances for Canterbury he soon found himself elevated to the All Blacks squad.
His introduction to the World Cup in 1995 was a bitter-sweet experience in a tournament not without controversy.
Many people remember it as the time Jonah Lomu announced his formidable presence when he scored four tries as the All Blacks overpowered England 45-29.
New Zealand went on to defeat Scotland 48-30 in the semi-finals, with Mehrtens scoring a try, kicking six penalties and two conversions. In the final at Ellis Park, they were to face the Springboks who had overcome France in the other semi-final.
The controversy came when the majority of the All Blacks squad suddenly came down with apparent food poisoning in the days leading up to the final.
Most of the players were vomiting or suffering severe diarrhoea. They initially kept it quiet, not wanting the Springboks to gain a psychological advantage.
“I still don’t really know what happened,” Mehrtens admitted.
“I was the first to get sick but it wasn’t until later I discovered two thirds of the squad were affected. In the morning it was very strange as half of the team were not at breakfast. Even manager Colin Meads was sick and you don’t get tougher than him.”
Later there was speculation that they had deliberately been poisoned by a waitress called “Suzie” but it was never proven and still remains a mystery.
The final turned out to be a tense affair and for the first time in a World Cup final the game went into extra time with the score 9-9. The Springboks eventually prevailed 15-12 with Mehrtens having scored all of his team’s points.
To his credit, Mehrtens does not blame the poisoning for the defeat, although some of the players were undoubtedly under the weather.
“There are no excuses,” Mehrtens said. “South Africa knocked us over fair and square”
After the final he even changed his bank pin number to 1215, “because I did not want to forget the pain of defeat”.
He went on to play in the 1999 World Cup where the All Blacks were famously upset 43-31 by France at Twickenham in the semi-finals after leading 17-10 at half-time.
Mehrtens admitted that he did not enjoy the English crowd shouting ‘‘Allez les Bleus” as France rallied for an amazing 33 second-half points.
Watson, who has scored 15 tries for England, also has mixed feelings about his first World Cup in 2015. It turned out to be a disaster for England who became the first hosts not to make it past the group stage after succumbing to Australia and Wales in a tough group.
“It was very exciting for me to be playing in the World Cup,” said Watson, “but of course very disappointing getting knocked out.”
Watson played in all four games and scored three tries, but it was ultimately all in vain despite a 60-3 thrashing of Uruguay in the last game.
Watson admitted the Uruguay game was a hollow victory and it “felt a bit strange” knowing his team was already out of the World Cup.
Apart from his All Blacks’ success, Mehrtens also enjoyed a distinguished club career. After his stint with Canterbury, he became a key member in the Crusaders side which won four Super 12 titles.
When he retired from international rugby, he moved to England where he played a major role in the revival of the Harlequins between 2005-07.
He went on to France where he had even more success, winning promotion with Toulon and then Racing Metro before ending his career at Beziers in 2013.
Watson, who says former international Jason Robinson was one of his inspirations, began his career at London Irish but moved to Bath in 2013.
It was his performances there which attracted England’s attention, although the club has not done that well lately.
Mehrtens is very confident about the current and future All Blacks teams.
“They are not unbeatable, but there are a lot of good young players coming through,” he said.
The stated aim of the Bangkok Lions is to promote rugby in Thailand and they are doing just that. An example of their hard work bearing fruit came recently with a former Bangkok Lion, Kaito Abe, being selected for the Japan U20 team. This is a terrific achievement for both the player and the Bangkok Lions coaching staff.
It is a worthy reward for the many sponsors of youth rugby in Thailand who contributed to making last weekend’s activities such a great success. As Watson observed, the youngsters not only learn to play rugby but also the “essential core values and life skills”.
And you never know. Some of the kids who played with Mehrtens and Watson last weekend, might just find themselves donning their national colours in the coming years.