I’M HUNGRY FOR MORE!
Axed after Japan, but Bath’s Mercer still keen to punch above his weight and make England No8 shirt his own
THE tears eventually turned to beaming smiles in the family photograph in Zach Mercer’s living room. ‘Me dad cried in the car on his way down,’ says Mercer with a chuckle, picking up the framed picture with his father Gary, mother Karen and girlfriend Bonnie on the Twickenham sidelines.
It has already taken pride of place alongside a pile of vinyl records — including commentaries from the 1970 Lions tours — and the velvet cap presented after his England debut against South Africa.
‘Number 1,402,’ he says, pulling it on to his head. ‘Joe Cokanasiga’s 1,403. He lives around the corner so that was pretty cool.’
For Mercer and Cokanasiga, the autumn series began in unison but ended in contrasting fortunes. Cokanasiga grabbed the headlines with a blockbuster performance against Australia, while Mercer was sent home after the Japan Test. He watched from his parents’ living room in Glasgow, as giant No 8 Nathan Hughes returned from suspension to take over as cover for Mark Wilson.
‘Watching that game on telly was difficult,’ says Mercer. ‘But you can look at it and go “Ah, this is b******s, I should be playing” or say “You know what, I’ve played two games, won both and had an awesome experience”. That ain’t too bad. It was pretty special. Did I think I was going to play? Probably not. I’m 21 and there’s a lot more to come.’
Critics pointed towards Mercer’s tender age and size in assessing his readiness for the international game. He weighs 109kg (17st 2lbs) — 16kg (2.5st) lighter than Hughes — although he is blessed with a skillset that has been compared wit h t he c ur r e nt Al l Bl a c ks captain. ‘ I see glimpses of a young Kieran Read with his footwork, timing and ball playing,’ says Bath coach Todd Blackadder. ‘He’s still a young kid, really. He’s got skills that other players don’t have and he’ll put on another 10 kilos, easily. He’s nowhere near the player he’ll be in two years.’
But Mercer is not running for the fridge. He is happy to punch above his weight — with his heart still set on making Eddie Jones’ final 31 for next year’s World Cup in Japan.
‘Eddie’s pleased with what I did during the autumn and I’ve just got to push on,’ says Mercer. ‘He winds me up and says “Do I even know what a gym looks like?” I’m not a physical specimen… Kieran Read isn’t either.
‘I’m never going to be 130kgs, running hard lines and boshing over people. That’s not how I play the game. Some people think they know it all and say “Look, his arms aren’t big enough” but I just take it on the chin. I’m 109kg now. I’m still young with a decent frame. If I can move fast at 119kg then I’ll be a happy man but I’m not just going to start living off McDonald’s.
‘Over the last month, before the autumn, I lost 30mm on my skinfold but my bodyweight stayed the same. They pinch your skin at eight trigger points on your body and add them up. It’s going to be a long process. Small stages. I don’t eat as much as Joe around the corner!’
Hungry for success, Mercer’s route back to the England team lies with his form at Bath. His home is already filled with undrunk champagne from his man-of-the-match displays and his mother, Karen, wants some brought back for Christmas. ‘ She wants the posh stuff!’ he jokes.
Bath have been riddled by inconsistency but their returning internationals are desperate to lose the ‘train like Tarzan, play like Jane’ tag. For Mercer, today’s game against Sale will see him become the club’s youngest forward to make 50 first-team appearances since Steve Borthwick, the current England forwards coach, almost 20 years ago.
‘You look at our team sheet and we’re capable of so much more,’ he says. ‘It’s not Todd’s fault. It’s about trust. If we go a couple of points down then heads drop and that’s a lack of belief in ourselves. We’re up and down. Peaks and troughs. We’ve got Katy Warren, a psychologist whose come in from England Sevens, and that’s a big help.’
And the personal milestone? ‘It’s pretty mental. ‘I still have the jersey from my first Bath game against Newcastle, when I ended up against Vereniki Goneva on the wing! 10th September, 2016.
‘Me grandad will be at the game. He’ll be taking the newspaper to the golf club next week to show everyone this article! He’s a special man. He’s 78 and he comes to every single rugby game, no matter where it is. He used to work on the railways so he gets free train travel down from Leeds. Bath gilet, Bath hat, Bath jumper.’
Now Mercer is back on centre stage at the Rec, all his grandad needs now is a Bath victory.