One of the truly great All Blacks sits outside an old Mayfair pub just around the corner from The Ritz, unnoticed by passers-by.
The hustle and bustle of central London, with Christmas shoppers dancing around the city’s business professionals, suits Andrew Mehrtens just right.
He is used to being busy. On the day we meet, the former fly-half, now 51, has just arrived from Paris via Eurostar after meeting with French rugby officials.
One of the best No. 10s of all time, Mehrtens easily gets lethargic on the pitch. He spent his time trying to avoid big hitters.
These days, he is one of them off the pitch, combining sporting gravitas with financial interest as a key part of a consortium seeking to acquire several rugby clubs around the world.
Mehrtens is a member of Formula 1 entrepreneur Eddie Jordan and former South African No. 8 With Bobby Skinstad, it has the potential to be the same type of rugby as the City Football Group, which includes Premier League giants Manchester City, Girona, New York City and Melbourne. city. There is currently no shared ownership model in rugby.
Former All Blacks flyhalf Andrew Mehrtens recently spoke to Mail Sport in Mayfair, London.
Mehrtens scored 967 runs for New Zealand during his 70-Test career between 1995 and 2004.
In early November, Mehrtens, Jordan and Skinstad took the first step by acquiring a controlling stake in Beziers, the French second division team where Mehrtens ended his playing career.
Mehrtens is keen to point out that Bézier remains his top priority. But his group, which is backed by Northern Ireland-based private equity fund Strangford Capital, is unlikely to stop there.
Jordan is an investor and advisor to Strangford and continues to do so despite revealing earlier this month that he is brutally battling a ‘very aggressive’ form of cancer.
Former Gallagher Premier League side London Irish, one of three victims of English rugby’s financial crisis in 2022, remain on the consortium’s radar. The same goes for Worcester and Wasps, who, like Ireland, have gone out of business but are planning to return to the new and improved second tier below the Premiership.
“I love these kinds of pubs and the fresh winter air,” Mehrtens says over a lime and soda. ‘I’m not drinking now, but the atmosphere here is still charming!
‘There’s so much going on right now, so it’s good to keep a clear head. Plus, it helped me lose a few pounds!’
The friendly Mehrtens are rugby royalty, but they introduce themselves as ‘Mehrts’.
‘I first met Eddie at the World Rugby Awards in Monaco,’ he says. ‘It was amazing. He brought with him a truly incredible personal brand. People want to connect with you when you have it.
Mehrtens and F1 entrepreneur Eddie Jordan (left) next to Sebastian Vettel in 2016 are part of a group that could be rugby’s answer to the Man City ownership model.
Bobby Skinstad, pictured playing for the Transvaal Cats in 2003, was also involved in the venture.
‘Strangford have been in contact with Ireland and discussions continue across a number of recent Premier League clubs.
‘Much of it is focused on financial viability. If I get a chance to do something someday, I definitely want to participate. But I’ll let it run its course.
‘Our focus is definitely Béziers. It’s really important that we say it. Strangford’s acquisition of another club would not hurt Beziers.
‘But if we can get a model where we can get some good efficiencies from one owner of multiple clubs and Strangford identifying those opportunities, then we’ll look at that. If we can benefit Béziers by having a network of clubs, that’s a good thing.
‘I’m really curious about the City Group model. I’m particularly curious to see how City Group blocks support between different clubs.’
Unless your name is Bill Sweeney With rugby struggling globally and the sport’s traditional structure at risk of being imploded by the creation of new rebel leagues, Mehrtens believes club ownership is a costly undertaking. I admit that it can happen. .
But there is no doubt that Strangford’s interest in the game is a good thing. Now based in Paris, Mehrtens’ playing career ended at Beziers after spells at Harlequins, Toulon and Racing 92.
Mehrtens, who also works in media, earned promotion to all four clubs after his stellar performances for his native Crusaders and New Zealand. With the domestic game going strong, it is no surprise that Strangford has begun his rugby career in France.
Mehrtens and his partners could eventually create something like City Football Group.
City Football Group currently holds major stakes in several clubs including Man City, Melbourne City, Mumbai City, New York City, Troyes and Palermo.
‘When we got into Beziers, our financial advisors were determined to prove there was no sustainable or financially viable rugby asset there,’ says Mehrtens.
‘Then they looked at how thriving the French market was and the resulting TV revenue, and they changed their minds! I have enjoyed seeing this ownership group come together. Because it was very much like a rugby team, with different people and different skills.
‘We have people who know the sport from a different perspective as well as financial experts, especially Eddie and Dan McKeown, who founded Strangford. They obviously know F1, one of the biggest sports in the world, very well. Rugby is very different to F1, but hopefully we can leverage that expertise.
‘We had to get the right people in the right roles. I think that’s where I, a former flyhalf, come in. As No 10, you need to utilize the resources around you on the field.
‘That’s what I’ve tried to take ownership of. I’m not the guy who runs the rugby club every day. We have the experts to do this. But what I do have is a knowledge of global rugby and a network that we can use to succeed. I feel like taking ownership of the club has allowed me to capitalize on the 20 years I have been involved in the game.
‘We are dissatisfied on the investment side. But firstly, these are passionate rugby people who do not consider the bottom line only in monetary terms. We’re doing this for the right reasons.’
A South African-born New Zealand legend, Mehrtens has extensive knowledge of French rugby. After the first meeting was cut short, Mehrtens was similarly busy but grappling with an entirely different problem the next time we spoke by phone.
“The days here are pretty labor-intensive,” says Mehrtens, taking walks around Paris to tire out her two recently born children.
Discussing his plans for ownership of the rugby club, Mehrtens said: ‘We’re in it for the right reasons.’
‘Twins are full of energy. ‘There’s barely time to breathe!’
Mehrtens wants to get Beziers, 11-time French champions, back into the top 14. They are currently challenging the leaders of the second division. There the possibilities seem endless and global.
Skinstad admitted that the club could be purchased not only in the UK but also in the US, South Africa and Australia.
‘Look at the second tier of European rugby. Germany, Georgia, Portugal and Spain all have clubs,’ says Mehrtens. ‘There is Tel Aviv fever in Israel.
‘You have to think they will all benefit from playing in an expanded United Rugby Championship.
‘As that franchise develops it will have multiple club ownerships. It doesn’t have to be majority ownership, but there can be shared intellectual property around players and systems and efficiencies, with centralized functions in areas such as ticketing, sponsorships and social media. I can definitely see that happening.
‘It’s new and exciting. I’ve been very lucky to have been promoted to every team I’ve played for in Europe. It was a great sense of accomplishment.
‘And this is exactly what we want to do with ownership, starting with Bézier. They have an incredible history. Ten of their titles came in 14 years. I don’t think it’s altruistic of me to participate, but at the same time I don’t think it’s necessarily a financial goal either. I have a real passion for Béziers and rugby.’
