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'Was I ready for England at the time? Maybe not'
By Ian Cameron
Montpellier back row Zach Mercer says he’s concentrating on getting himself into the best position to take an opportunity with England, should it arise, but he will not be leaving France anytime soon.
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The 24-year-old outshone England No.8 Alex Dombrandt in his side’s first-leg victory over Harlequins in the Heineken Champions Cup, firmly placing himself back in the England conversation.
Yet in an appearance on The RugbyPass Offload Podast, Mercer acknowledges that he won’t be a selection possibility as long as he plays in France.
“It’s always good to play against English people. When you play Top 14 every week you hear French all the time and it just goes over your head,” Mercer told Marc Edwards, Ryan Wilson and Max Lahiff on the podcast, when reflecting on the recent win over Quins and playing English opposition.
“It’s quite nice when you’ve got Marler on the other side of the scrum trying to give you stick. You getting people chirpsing left, right and centre. At least now I can understand what they are saying,” joked Mercer.
“It’s good to play against Dombrandt, the current England No.8, and to play against familiar faces, as you get back in the shop window effectively.
“I was expecting a lot more [chat from Marler]. Didn’t get much from him. Last time I played him in the Prem, he was like ‘How much do you sign for Montpellier for?’ At the back of the lineout screaming it.”
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“It was like 28 degrees [in Montpellier] and everyone was blowing out their backside. Everyone was like I can’t speak, it’s too tiring.”
Mercer revealed that England head coach Eddie Jones did reach out to him after his MOTM performance in the first leg.
“After last weekend, we touched base again. It’s all positive news but at the moment, I know where I am with my rugby, I’m in France and I don’t really have to worry about England.
“I’ve played twice and I’ve loved it but I think I’m a lot better player now than I was then, mentally and physically.”
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Mercer believes the white-hot furnace of French rugby is the best place for him to develop as a player, a development he felt had stalled in the Gallagher Premiership.
“I’d like to get that [England] shirt back on again because I do think I can perform better than I did. But for me, I love it here. I’m showing that in my performances. The lifestyle is amazing, the players and the coaching staff. It’s a great place to be.
“We’re vying for silverware this season. I could have stayed in the Premiership and been comfortable, but I wanted to get out of that zone. The Top 14 is ridiculous. The size of the blokes. The relentlessness, week in, week out.
“We went to Perpignan who were second from bottom of the league three weeks ago. You’ve got a tunnel of people just screaming and booing in your face, a tunnel of people just absolutely abusing you.
“It’s so hard to win away in this league because everyone is so focused on winning their home games. Like Brive for example. I think only two teams have beaten Brive away this year.
“The physicality of the league, it’s a just a battle, every week you’re playing against 140kg blokes. You’re like, what is going on?’ But it’s good.
“I don’t know any of the guys in the league so I can rock up with no expectations of who I’m playing against, so I’m relaxed. I like it.
“In the Prem or URC you’re like ‘Right this guy plays for them, he good at this, he can do that.’ Whereas in the Top 14 it’s like ‘I’ve no idea who this guy is. Like, that guy, he’s obviously a French international, but that’s it’. There’s a real good balance mentally.”
Mercer also doesn’t hold any grudges after getting the selection cold shoulder from England, acknowledging that it may have come too early for him.
“I got named in the squad at 18. I was an apprentice for two years. I made my debut in 2018, so I would been maybe 20. I got called into a squad but I only got named that year because Nathan [Hughes] was out and Billy Vunipola and Courtney Lawes were also injured, so I think the 8s were me and Ben Morgan in the squad, so I get the opportunity to sit on the bench in the South African game and Tom Curry came off injured after 40 minutes. So I played a good half of rugby then.
“I got my opportunity and the journalist said I should start against the All Blacks a week later. And I was like imagine that, playing against the All Blacks with my heritage.
“I won’t tell you what he said but he [Eddie Jones] said there’s one reason why, and you won’t play. Then I named to play against Japan the week after, and I was like ‘okay, I’ve got another shot now.
‘Then Jamie George got a yellow carded and I had to go off for 10 minutes for scrum and then was taken off two minutes into the second half, so I actually played more in the game when I came off the bench then I did when I started.
“I don’t blame Eddie. If I got the opportunity again, I’m a completely different person.
“I’d be in a better position to take the shirt. Was I ready at the time? Maybe not.
“If I got an opportunity again I’d relish it. I know what I’m doing right now is right for me and right for the way I want to develop my game, so when the opportunity rises again, if it rises again, I’d have a better opportunity to take it.”
