OWN CORRESPONDENT, Canterbury | Tuesday 9.30am.
CANTERBURY Crusaders’ All Black flyhalf Andrew Mehrtens rates Queensland as the most dangerous team in the Super 12 rugby union tournament.
Mehrtens said Tuesday the Crusaders had hoped to avoid playing the Reds, but also warned the defending champions were regaining fluency and confidence ahead of Saturday’s semi-final at Ballymore.
The Stormers host Otago Highlanders in Saturday’s other semi-final in Cape Town.
Mehrtens poses a threat to the Reds and he considers his goalkicking is more consistent than it has been over the last four years. That is despite problems caused by dropping a 5kg (11 pound) weight on his left foot four weeks ago.
Mehrtens comapres Queensland’s casual destruction of the Sharks with Canterbury’s laborious win, and says it shows canterbury has a bit of work to do. “The way things have panned out, the Reds are the most dangerous team in the competition and ideally we would have liked to avoid them,” Mehrtens said.
He said Canterbury are regaining the form and momentum which helped them to an unlikely title last year over the hot favourites Auckland after a patchy start.–AFP