Stade Toulousain, the juggernaut of club rugby. A team packed with some of the game’s greatest stars, from Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack to Thomas Ramos and Blair Kinghorn; from Peato Mauvaka and Jack Willis to Ange Capuzzo and Juan Cruz Mallia. But amongst these international Galacticos, there’s a gigantic Spaniard who has made his way to the top. His name? Joel Merkler.
Born and raised in Gelida, a small city in Catalonia, the tighthead prop had to dig deep to find his way to the spotlight. He featured in last season’s Champions Cup and Top 14 finals as Toulouse surged to the double, yet things could have worked out so very differently. Indeed, Merkler’s French adventure almost came to a screeching halt five years ago.
“I was in a make-or-break moment,” the 23-year-old tells RugbyPass. “Toulouse told me I had to work more, or I would go back home. With no game time in the espoirs (academy), I was loaned to a Fédérale 1 (third division) club. I had to improve in the way I worked off and on the field.
“I started working out more, on the pitch or in the gym, enhancing my best abilities. I had to upgrade my scrummaging, as it wasn’t good enough for the Top 14. It was an uphill battle, with a new roadblock after every success. I had to reinvent myself every season and find a way forward. But to play with the best, you can’t cut corners. I couldn’t lose the chance to represent Toulouse.”
So, how did a versatile prop from Spain end up plying his trade for one of the greatest clubs on planet rugby?
“In 2017, Stade Toulousain came to play a couple of fixtures against Sant Cugat (Merkler’s Spanish club). I got the chance to play against them, and after the games, they invited me to come to Toulouse for a two-week summer camp. That trip to France was an eye-opener. I learned so much from that experience, and it would push me to challenge myself even more.”
Toulouse didn’t immediately call Merkler after the camp, but he didn’t wait around.
I have always been a good ball carrier and tackler, but a prop without good scrummaging skills isn’t going anywhere.
“Toulouse never got back to me, so I started phoning a lot of clubs from southern France, asking for a chance to show what I could do. I had try-outs with Béziers and Narbonne, but just a couple of days before signing with Béziers, Toulouse called me and invited me to join the club. My parents wanted Béziers, but my first option was always Toulouse. I knew it would pose a harder challenge, but I just couldn’t say no to such a big club.”
Seen as one of the best props outside the top tier nations, 6ft 5ins, 128kg Merkler actually made his Top 14 debut at lock, coming off the bench to replace Emmanuel Meafou. Unfortunately, being a rugby Swiss army knife was more of a problem than an advantage,
“I was the lucky guy who got to play as a number eight, lock and prop. Because of my size, I could play in any of those positions. Béziers wanted me as a number eight. Toulouse’s idea for me was to be a tighthead prop. I had to do a lot of individual training to grow as a front-row.
“For quite a while I didn’t excel in the scrum, being just average, and that complicated my early days in Toulouse. I have always been a good ball carrier and tackler, but a prop without good scrummaging skills isn’t going anywhere. With time, good input from teammates and staff, and self-belief, I was able to find my footing as a scrummager. Being as tall as I am, I had to work more to become a more reliable scrum option. I had to improve my technique. The staff never gave up on me.”
After some hardship and effort, Merkler has become a first-team player, featuring in some sensational fixtures for the club. The Champions Cup final epic against Leinster stands out from his 45 matches.
“It was insane, wasn’t it? We had to go to extra time, after a brutal 80 minutes. Every scrum was a point-scoring opportunity, so I was a bit nervous. Everything happened, Richie [Arnold] was sent off, Leinster was close to scoring what could’ve been a match-winning try. But then the game ended, and we had won it. You can imagine how emotional it was. I can still feel it, but I don’t have a way to describe it.”
Merkler only took up rugby aged 12, having been a bulky and unremarkable goalkeeper for his local football club. He remembers his first training session as if it were yesterday, recounting the tortures of fitness drills in searing Barcelona heat.
“It was in July, under the scorching sun, 40C. I wasn’t very fond of the conditioning side of sports at the time, so to go in and to have to do sprints and burpees wasn’t the best calling card. I remember getting home, and saying to my mother ‘I think this sport isn’t for me’ and she immediately got angry, saying that I was going to try again. She was right. Rugby changed my life, that’s for sure. Gave me focus, ambition, goals and desire to improve and challenge myself.
In football, because I wasn’t seen as a good asset, I wasn’t valued, but in rugby, everyone pushed for me.
“Not to say football isn’t great, but rugby’s environment is completely different. You feel part of a family and people value you. In football, because I wasn’t seen as a good asset, I wasn’t valued, but in rugby, everyone pushed for me. I felt there was a place for me. I made friends, lost weight, I felt more confident in myself and even my grades went up.”
Studying was always a priority for Merkler, too. His parents made sure of that. He is close to completing a degree in political science and business at the University of Toulouse, paving the way for his post-rugby career.
As a boy with obvious potential, Merkler would represent his country at Under-16, U18 and U20 levels, before earning his Test debut aged just 18 in Uruguay.
“It was 2020. Covid struck, and my life with the Toulouse espoirs wasn’t going well. Santi Santos, the Spain head coach, picked me for the tour to South America. They helped me a lot at a moment when I wasn’t feeling particularly well with my rugby. It was all even more special, as my birthday was the day before the first game. I remember feeling nervous and happy when the anthem started playing, looking to both sides and seeing legends of the Leones right next to me. It was such a special occasion and the bonds we created there will stay forever with me.”
Though Merkler’s club commitments have deprived Spain of one of its finest players, he reveals he will return for the Rugby Europe Championship in February, as the push for Rugby World Cup 2027 qualification ramps up.
“I am on my path. I know the direction I’m going. I love playing for Spain, but it has to work for me and them. I want to play for Toulouse and help my country qualify for the World Cup. Step by step we will get there. I will help my country in any way I can to book our tickets to Australia!
“Spain is on the right track. The union is working well to capitalise on the potential we have. Spanish rugby is recognized internationally, and proof of that is the large number of youngsters being signed by French clubs. I still think we have to find a way to improve our school rugby system, as we need our U16s, U18s and U20s to be at a higher level. We will get there, I believe so.”
Merkler’s two-year absence from the Test arena is partly testament to his growing importance to Ugo Mola and Toulouse. Props, he says, are cherished in France, by their employers and colleagues if not the wider fanbase.
“Props are a bit undervalued by the public, I think. There was never a prop nominated for the World Rugby player of the year award, for example. However, it is the complete opposite when it comes down to what happens inside a team and club, as we are valued and appreciated. Good props are not easy to find, and when a French club finds one, they stick with them for a long time.”
Before departing, a word on Antoine Dupont, the indefatigable genius who feeds the ball beneath Merkler’s nose at each scrum. Is The Great One as great as everyone thinks?
“Yes, and Antoine Dupont is as good in training as he is in the games. He and Thomas Ramos. Dupont sees things 99% of players don’t. It is a completely new universe of understanding the game.”
And, final question, who has the best back-door pass?
“Him, for sure. I can throw a good pass as well, but Antoine is just in a league of his own.”
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