All Blacks legend Andrew Mehrtens has questioned whether a second NRL club in New Zealand would actually be beneficial to rugby league in the long run rather than bringing in new teams in places like Western Australia or another in Brisbane.

Writing for The Sydney Morning Herald, Mehrtens believed the NRL stood little chance of cutting into the All Blacks and their ‘brand’.

“The idea is supposedly to increase junior participation and create a rivalry with the New Zealand Warriors that will increase interest in my home land,” the 70-cap All Black said.

“It sounds like a ploy to undermine rugby and, in doing so, try to weaken one of the strongest sporting brands in the world: the All Blacks.

“I seriously don’t think it will have any material effect, and I’m not sure the NRL really believes it can deal a crippling blow to New Zealand rugby, but rather it is just trying to improve the value of its own brand.

“In that context, I would question whether a second New Zealand team would really stack up financially.”