Zach Mercer interview: I was ‘done’ with England – now I want to be back
From being “done” with England in January, Gloucester No 8 Zach Mercer now has the fire back in his belly to pull on the red rose again this summer and fulfil a long-held family ambition.
Mercer has no better showcase to illustrate his international credentials than in the Challenge Cup final against a Sharks side littered with Springboks forwards at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Friday night. It seems barmy that the 26-year-old has been waiting nearly six years to add to a paltry tally of two England caps that is in no way representative of his talent.
For some of that stretch, Mercer was in France, winning the Top 14 title as well as the league’s player of the year award with Montpellier, where he was adulated and adored in equal measure. You could understand his frustration when he made himself eligible for international selection again by signing for Gloucester last summer only to be cut from England’s World Cup training squad before the bibs had been handed out.
An eight week lay-off early into his time at Gloucester did not help Mercer’s disposition and when Steve Borthwick told him that he would not be involved in the Six Nations he told the BBC that “I’m done for the time being with that (England) and I’m just going to focus on Gloucester.”
Some people felt that was petulant, arrogant even. It is a notion that Mercer is keen to redress. He saw it as a form of psychological reset having previously spoken of his struggles with mental health.
“People probably read it and thought ‘that guy is entitled’,” Mercer told Telegraph Sport. “I get that. I am not entitled. I was frustrated. I have always wanted to play for England.
“At that time for my mental health, I needed to take a step back because it was hard to deal with disappointment all the time. It was probably affecting my family life at home, dealing with those disappointments. It was important for me to take a step back and refresh and focus on Gloucester. Now I have got that ambition back that I want to pull the rose on.
“Everyone is different and England will pick players depending on how they want to play the game, but I just want to be given a shot to show what I can do on the international stage. If I take it, I take it. If I don’t, I don’t. There are some unbelievable No 8s in the Premiership who are performing really well so I don’t think it will be an easy opportunity. That’s why it is important to play in this big game for Gloucester to show what I can on these big stages.”
‘It’s a huge target’
The good news is that Mercer remains firmly in Borthwick’s thinking as he continues to prove himself to be one of the most dynamic and elusive back-rowers in the Premiership. Gloucester director of rugby George Skivington revealed that Mercer is the first person Borthwick asks about when he calls. “You can’t ignore a talent like Zach,” Skivington said. “He’s in the picture.”
An added incentive for touring New Zealand would be to allow Mercer’s grandmother, Kath Windley, who is based in the small town of Hokitika on the South island to watch him in the flesh for the first time. “Obviously to go to New Zealand and play in front of my grandma for the first time ever is a huge target,” Mercer said. “She has never watched me play live. If I got that opportunity it would be really special.”
Family is a huge part of Mercer’s motivation. For every Gloucester home game this season, his grandfather Bill sets off at 7am from his home in Leeds to come down to Kingsholm. “He drives to Sheffield, jumps on the train, goes to the Wetherspoons and goes back again,” Mercer said. “Obviously when I was over in Montpellier he couldn’t do that so now he is making up for lost time. He loves it.”
Unsurprisingly, Mercer’s role model was his father, Gary, a rugby league international for New Zealand who enjoyed a long, distinguished career in Super League. Leaving this type of mantle for his daughter, Iris, to reflect upon is one of Mercer’s main driving forces.
“I want to create a legacy,” Mercer said. “I want to create a career where if someone mentions my name they know who I am, especially for my kids. My little daughter is nine months old and I want her to grow up knowing who her dad was and what he did in life. Success is graded on what you achieve in the game and what you win. For me I want to win trophies, I want to play for England and be as successful as I can be. I wanted to come into the game to create a legacy and someone that my daughter can be proud of already.
“I remember my old man playing and how cool it was being a kid and coming to training and to the games watching him play. I can’t wait for my daughter to experience that. I want her to show off really. I just remember how cool that was. When you mention his name now, some people still recognise it and I just think that is so cool.”
Certainly Mercer has inherited his father’s footwork that allows him to slip out of tackles in the smallest of spaces. “It is weird because I don’t really practise it, my body seems to tell me what to do,” Mercer said. “You need the pressure of someone trying to smash you which only really happens in a game.”
It is a mark of Mercer’s excellence that in spite of his eight-week absence and Gloucester’s Premiership struggles, he has still featured in several team of the season line-ups. The good news for both Cherry & White - and potentially England - supporters is that Mercer believes he is yet to fully find his stride.
“I still don’t think I am anywhere near my best,” Mercer said. “That’s really exciting. I said to my wife the other day that I feel I was playing a lot better at Montpellier. I am happy with how I am going but I want to be the best I can be and I feel I have a lot more to offer on the pitch here and in an international jersey.”
