Exiled England No.8 shines as Montpellier thump Harlequins
Zach Mercer gave England head coach Eddie Jones a reminder of his outstanding talent as he scored two tries to steer Montpellier to a 40-26 win over Harlequins in the Heineken Champions Cup round of 16.
The home side were 34-0 ahead eight minutes into the second half before English champions Quins finished with a flourish to score four tries and cut the deficit to 14 points ahead of next weekend’s return leg at the Twickenham Stoop.
Mercer was irresistible in the opening half, picking up from a close range breakdown to dive over for his first try and then racing 40 metres to the right corner for his second.
Playing directly opposite the current England number eight, Quins skipper Alex Dombrandt, he stood head and shoulders above everyone else on the pitch.
The visitors started well enough, but their handling and finishing was well below par and they failed to make the most of the chances they created in the opening quarter.
Error after error crept into their game and an attempt kick pass across their 22 in the 22nd minute led to Gabriel N’Gandebe profiting from a knock-down and racing the 25 metres to score unopposed.
Italian outside half Paolo Garbisi added the conversion and then improved Mercer’s first try to double the lead.
Worse was to follow when Cobus Reinach was put clear after a turn over for the Top 14 leaders came from a Danny Care kick that hit Joe Marler’s backside.
That extended the lead to 19 points and it was 26-0 at the break after Mercer had raced almost half the length of the field for a try that Garbisi again converted.
The Quins needed a fast start to the second half, but conceded a fifth try within 67 seconds of the re-start.
The home forwards went into pick and drive mode and it ended with former Saracens prop Titi Lamositele powering over to make it 31-0.
Garbisi then made it 34-0 with a penalty and the game looked dead and buried.
But Harlequins are not known as the comeback kings for nothing and while they conceded two penalties to Handre Pollard before the end, they conjured up four tries of their own to keep the tie very much in the melting pot.
Zach Mercer is on ?
What a display from Montpellier as they lead Quins 26-0 in France.#ChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/8QLIz8sLe6
— Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) April 10, 2022
George Hammond launched the fightback with a try in the 57th minute as he ran onto a kick through by Marcus Smith.
Then Andre Esterhuizen was sent crashing over from a quick tap penalty and Smith added the extras.
Three minutes later Louis Lynagh broke into the home half and sent Joe Marchant racing to the line and the conversion cut the gap to 15 points.
Lynagh then picked off a Pollard pass just outside his 22 and ran 70 metres to score at the posts.
Smith’s conversion meant there were only 11 points in it, but Pollard added a penalty at the death to make it a two score tie.
Comments on RugbyPass
It was a pleasure to watch those guys playing with such confidence. That trio can all be infuriating for different reasons and I can see why Jones might have decided against them. No way to justify leaving Ikitau out though. Jorgensen and him were both scheduled to return at the same time. Only one of them plays for Randwick and has a dad who is great mates with the national coach though.
53 Go to commentsBrayden Iose and Peter Lakai are very exciting Super Rugby players but are too short and too light to ever be a Test 8 vs South Africa, France, Ireland, and England, Lakai could potentially be a Test player at 7 if he is allowed to focus on 7 for Hurricanes.
5 Go to commentsPencils “Thomas du Toit” into possible 2027 Bok squad.
1 Go to commentsDon’t see why Harrison makes the bench. Jones can play at 10 if needed, and there is a good case for starting her there to begin with if testing combinations. That would leave room for Sing on the bench
1 Go to commentsWhat a load of old bull!
1 Go to commentsOf the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.
29 Go to commentsIrish Rugby CEO be texting Andy Farrell “Andy, i found our next Kiwi Irishman”
5 Go to commentsI certainly don’t miss drinking beers at 8am in the morning watching rugby games being played in NZ.
1 Go to commentsThis looks like a damage limitation exercise for Wales, keeping back some of their more effective players for the last 20/25 minutes to try and counter England’s fresh legs so the Red Roses don’t rack up a big score.
1 Go to commentsVery unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
5 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to comments