After saying he was “done” with England in January, Gloucester No. 8 Zach Mercer is now eager to play for the national team after making up with Steve Borthwick.
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The 26-year-old Mercer hasn’t played for England since 2018 and said he ‘was done’ with the national team after being left out of the Six Nations squad.
“People probably read it and thought ‘that guy is entitled’,” Mercer exclusively 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.”
The 33-man England Squad Steve Borthwick Should Select For Summer Tour
It’s been a decade since England’s last visit to New Zealand, a challenging 2014 series under Stuart Lancaster resulting in a 3-0 defeat.
The memories of the 2008 tour aren’t any sweeter, with England tasting defeat in both Tests against the All Blacks. However, a glimmer of triumph emerged in 2003, as they secured a thrilling 15-13 victory over New Zealand just before the Rugby World Cup.
In this highly anticipated tour, Borthwick’s squad will face a formidable challenge with only two tests against the All Blacks, following a clash with Japan in Tokyo.
Here is the list of our predicted squad organised by their current clubs:
RUCK’s England squad for the summer:
Harlequins
- Joe Marler
- Fin Baxter
- Chandler Cunningham-South
- Marcus Smith
Bristol Bears
- Ellis Genge
- Harry Randall
- Gabriel Ibitoye
Saracens
- Jamie George
- Theo Dan
- Maro Itoje
- Ben Earl
- Elliot Daly