KEY New Zealand fly-half and goal kicker Andrew Mehrtens may miss the Rugby World Cup semifinal against France although an injury to his left knee is not serious.
Mehrtens had a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey, near London, and was cleared of serious injury, Wellington’s Evening Postnewspaper said in a report.
“There’s some bruising and some fluid on the knee,” the paper quoted New Zealand coach John Hart as saying.
Mehrtens suffered the injury at the bottom of a ruck during the side’s 30-18 quarter-final victory over Scotland on Sunday.
“He’s not at risk once the injury’s settled down. There’s no major structural abnormality to the knee,” Hart said.
But while he was upbeat on his key player’s recovery, he said it was not a foregone conclusion and he would decide the fly half position on the day of the game.
If Mehrtens misses the game, Otago’s Tony Brown will start.