He had Justin Marshall on the field and now former All Black Andrew Mehrtens has found his perfect partner off it.
Mehrtens, 32, last week married Jacqueline Inder in Christchurch in a ceremony so private, guests had no idea of the location - Our Lady Star of the Sea church
in Sumner - until the last minute.
"It really was the happiest, most exciting day of my life," Mehrtens tells this week's New Zealand Women's Weekly, which has exclusive photographs.
Former team-mate Marshall was one of Mehrtens' groomsmen, while several other current and former All Blacks, including Anton Oliver and Reuben Thorne, were among 150 guests.
Mehrtens and Inder have been together since 2003 - initially it was a long-distance relationship while Inder was living in Melbourne.
In 2004, Mehrtens credited Inder with inspiring the turn-around which saw him regain his place in the All Blacks.
Mehrtens now plays for London club Harlequins but has said he will return to New Zealand. "We are both fairly staunch Kiwis," Mehrtens said last year.
"I don't know how long it will be. We will assess things in a couple of years and what opportunities there are.
"If I was still feeling good in a couple of years and Harlequins still wanted me, that would probably be my first preference. But certainly New Zealand is our home and what we love."
Mehrtens has a son, Sam, to former partner and manager Jacki Wong.
- HERALD ON SUNDAY
