'Anyone who moves to France and wins Player of the Year is really something'

All Black Bruce Reihana has been left “shocked” by Steve Borthwick’s decision to dump Zach Mercer from the 41-strong official England training squad preparing for the Rugby World Cup in France, where the No.8 has been a superstar for Montpellier for the last two seasons.

Reihana, one of Montpellier’s coaches who helped guide the club to the Top 14 title two seasons ago when Mercer was named the league’s Player of the Year, is adamant the No.8 should be in England’s starting XV let alone the expanded training squad. However, Borthwick believes he can do without Mercer, who left Montpellier at the end of the season to join Gloucester to ensure he was available for England.

Now, he finds himself surplus to requirements, although with pre-World Cup matches and doubts over Billy Vunipola’s fitness after his operation, Mercer may still figure in Borthwick’s plans for the tournament. Reihana’s starting back for row for England would be Courtney Lawes (blindside), Zach Mercer (No.8) and one of the Curry brothers at openside or Jack Willis. What is not negotiable is Mercer’s place in the back row.

Reihana, who was a fan favourite when at Northampton, believes Mercer made an even bigger impact for Montpellier this season when they struggled to live up to the tag of reigning champions, delivering personal performances of real impact on the pitch and becoming a leader of the squad off it. Mercer was made vice captain and the home crowd gave him a standing ovation when he made his final appearance for the club, who finished 11th in the league.

Before joining Montpellier, Mercer spent five years playing for Bath where he scored 95 points in 76 Premiership appearances and his two England caps to date were both won in November 2018. His ball-playing style saw critics claim Mercer would not have the “dog” to make an impact in the intensely physical Top 14 but he proved them wrong.

Reihana told RugbyPass: “I am very, very surprised and shocked that Zach is not in the squad and the way he played when we won the league was phenomenal and anyone who moves to France and wins Player of the Year is really something. He was extraordinary and then to go through a season when the team struggled and really stand up, showed his true character not only on the pitch but also off it as a leader. For me that was an even bigger challenge to show he could perform when the pressure was really on.

“I would have him starting at No.8 because he offers so much more than anyone else. His differences are huge compared to all the other No.8s and I would compare his impact to what Kieran Reid did for the All Blacks. That is the kind of player you need on the pitch because he has great off-loading skills, can run over you and he can beat you with his footwork. It is one thing to run straight at people but if you have that x-factor it makes such difference and he is the complete package. He proved that because he is also a line out jumper. When you go to a World Cup you need someone with that full package.

“The move from Bath was perfect and he had to restart and work on all the basics. Every week he was taking the bags out to do extra training and to get the timing of his hits in the tackle right. The boys over here are massive and he worked on his tackling and was consistent and pushed hard every week. I can’t remember a game in the last two seasons when he didn’t play.”

Reihana, who believes the World Cup is “France’s to lose” because of their strength in depth, is confident Mercer will handle the mental blow of being axed by England and will be ready to make an impact if the call comes before the Cup kicks off. “He made the tough decision to come to France and that showed his mentality,” he added. “He grew even stronger mentally this season when he was in difficult situations and was out of his comfort zone.

“After he left I sent him a message which said: ‘what you did last season was incredible but this season was better because you had to stand up on and off the pitch and test yourself.’ I thought he would make the England squad having gone back there because he should be in their best back row unit. He is so dynamic and has a great rugby brain.

“It was a difficult season for us after winning the title and we need to look in the mirror and see how we responded as players and coaches. I felt a lot of the players didn’t do that and small things cost us and the previous season we took those chances. Zach was one of the consistent guys for us and that is why we made vice captain.”