Zach Mercer: ‘As far as I’m concerned, I’m a Gloucester player’

Gloucester No 8 Zach Mercer has remained tight-lipped about a possible return to France but has intimated he will at least be at Kingsholm for the coming season.

RugbyPass recently reported that Toulon were front-runners to sign the England back-rower, with subsequent reports suggesting the Top 14 giants have bought out the final two years of his four-year contract at Gloucester.

That would see the 27-year-old return next summer across the Channel, where he was crowned Player of the Year in 2021-22 after helping Montpellier win the Top 14 title.

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The former Bath man returned to the Gallagher Premiership with Gloucester in the hope of forcing his way back into England contention but was overlooked for their Rugby World Cup squad and was also omitted from Steve Borthwick’s Six Nations party and the subsequent tour of New Zealand.

Asked to clarify his future after scoring one of Gloucester’s four tries in a 33-26 pre-season defeat at Edinburgh on Friday, Mercer said: “As far as I’m concerned, I’m a Gloucester player.”

Pressed as to whether that meant for this season at least, he simply responded “yes”, without giving any further indication about his plans beyond next summer.

Regardless of where the talented back-rower is playing during the 2024-25 campaign, Mercer is convinced Gloucester have put last season’s struggles behind them and can approach the new campaign with optimism.

The Cherry and Whites only won five of their 18 league games after a horrendous run of nine straight defeats from late October until late January, finishing a lowly ninth.

“I think it was the mental side,” Mercer said after Gloucester followed an impressive 33-19 victory over Munster in Cork last week by succumbing to Edinburgh at Hive Stadium, despite leading 26-19 at half-time after tries from centre Max Llewellyn, Mercer, scrum-half Tomos Williams and prop Afo Fasogbon.

“We kept losing and were not able to get out of it. But this year we are a strong, resilient outfit and are excited for the challenges that are going to get thrown at us.

“We’ve taken a massive step forward from last year and obviously some recruits have added a lot of value, so we are excited to get started. We are ready for Saracens.”

Gloucester’s opening Premiership fixture next Saturday pits them against a Sarries side in transition after losing captain Owen Farrell and the Vunipola brothers, Billy and Mako, to moves across the Channel with Racing 92, Montpellier and Vannes respectively.

“You obviously can’t deny the aura those players brought but they’ve still got Maro (Itoje), Jamie George, Ben Earl,” Mercer said. “They are a world-class outfit and we’re not naïve about the challenge we are going to face on Saturday.

“You have got to play these teams at some point and maybe at the start is a benefit to us. We’ve got a lot to prove – to the fans especially. But our mindset has changed completely so we are excited for the season now.”

Gloucester attack coach James Lightfoot Brown said speculation around Mercer’s future has not distracted the player’s focus as they prepare to tackle Saracens, who were beaten by eventual champions Northampton in last season’s semi-final play-offs.
“Zach has been brilliant,” he said. “He is a fantastic player and we are going to maximise everything we have with him. He’s ready to go – you saw that in the first half. When he steps on a rugby pitch, he wants to get as many touches of the ball as possible, and that’s what we want as a team. He has been fantastic.

“I think we need that competitive fixture now. The lads have really grafted and the whole building is ready for Saracens to come, 5.30pm on Saturday. We are excited and ready to go. I don’t think another pre-season fixture would change where we’re at. This is it now – we need to get into the Premiership.”

Lightfoot Brown also praised the immediate impact of Welsh international half-backs Williams and Gareth Anscombe after their arrivals at Kingsholm this summer.

“They come with brilliant experience and are both great lads who have bonded with the group very quickly,” he added. “You need that in positions of authority, you need people to respect you and they have managed to do that very quickly.

“The quality they have is exceptional – you’ve seen how lively Tomos is, how much he creates in and around him and Gareth has great awareness of where the game is at and what he’s trying to do with the ball. They are a good combination and we are looking forward to seeing them throughout the season.”