Zach Mercer – Gloucester Rugby
When Mercer arrived at Gloucester following his move from Montpellier, expectations were high for the back-row to excel in Steve Borthwick’s England set-up after dominating the Top 14 defenses. However, the events which panned out did not go to plan, as Mercer missed out on the Rugby World Cup squad following a surprise omission from the England head coach.
Mercer took the set-back in his stride, and has been one of the leading performers throughout a difficult time at Kingsholm. The number eight ran out a stunning effort in last weekend’s Challenge Cup, and contributed the match-winning try against Edinburgh. Having pinned the Scottish side on their try-line, Gloucester worked the ball in-field with short drives, before Mercer spotted a gap in the armour and crashed over for the match-levelling score. Adam Hastings’ conversion solidified the win, yet the plaudits were awarded to England’s unsung back-rower.
Should Mercer once again miss out on the England senior set-up, he could well get a run in the England ‘A’ team to showcase his talents against Portugal. It was announced last week, that the Gloucester Rugby partnership of head coach George Skivington and defensive coach Dom Waldouck would be apart of the England ‘A’ staff, with the pair more than aware of the talents which Mercer has in his repertoire. So, even if the likes of Ben Earl, Billy Vunipola and Alfie Barbeary get the nod by Borthwick, there will still be a chance for Mercer to wear the red rose in the coming weeks.