Is it any wonder that none of their players are nominated for the IRB Player of the Year award!
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/sport/5832886/Mehrtens-accused-of-being-drunk-on-TV
Mehrtens accused of being drunk on TV
Accusations that All Blacks legend Andrew Mehrtens appeared on live television while drunk have been raised for the second time during the Rugby World Cup.
Mehrtens appeared on the TV3 rugby panel show Cup Talk on Thursday night with glazed eyes and slurred speech.
He was with host James Gemmell and panelists David Campese, a former Wallaby, and Scott Quinnell, a former Welsh rugby player.
The former Canterbury player, now living in France, slugged back water during the 30-minute late-night show and at one point Quinnell tipped his own glass of water into Mehrtens' empty glass.
After one of the ad breaks Gemmell mentioned an incident had just occurred but refrained from giving details to viewers.
Mehrtens' behaviour raised suspicions of viewers, including Davis Tui of Wellington, who tweeted during the show: "Is Andrew merhtans pissed on #cuptalk?"
Claims of Mehrtens drinking before going on TV were made after an earlier Cup Talk show aired on September 12.
TV3 bosses sidestepped the allegations and put his behaviour down to jet lag, though he had arrived in the country six days earlier.
Yesterday a TV3 spokeswoman declined to comment on the allegations, but said they were "thrilled" with Mehrtens' performance on the late-night show.
Thursday was his last appearance on Cup Talk but he was expected to commentate on the last two Rugby World Cup games, including the final tomorrow.
Wellington media lawyer Steven Price said there were no Broadcasting Standards Authority guidelines about intoxicated presenters appearing on television, though grounds could be found for a complaint, depending on the circumstances.
Mehrtens is currently playing for the third division French team Beziers after an illustrious 12-year career at first-class level.
The first-five played 70 test matches for the All Blacks, 87 games for the Crusaders and 108 for Canterbury.