Returning Mercer playing with a smile
The two best number eights in England come head-to-head this weekend in one of the most fascinating positional battles of the season.
Bath Rugby’s Zach Mercer looks set to start opposite Harlequins’ Alex Dombrant as the two number eights pack down opposite each other at The Rec in Round 11 of the Gallagher Premiership. While England head coach Eddie Jones continues to overlook the two standout men, both club sides will be heavily reliant on their big ball carrying talismen.
Mercer returned from more than three months out with a knee ligament injury to put in a barnstorming 80 minute man of the match display against Worcester Warriors on Saturday as Bath won 21-22 at Sixways.
The backrower scored a try within two minutes of kick off to make the perfect start to his return to play and he continued to impress throughout making a team high 56 metres in attack from an industrious 24 carries, beating eight defenders.
He also almost topped Bath’s tackle count with 12, just one fewer than Tom Dunn.
Post match, Bath director of rugby Stuart Hooper said: “I thought he [Zach Mercer] was exceptional. He didn’t just get through the 80 minutes, I thought he was consistently dominant with his ball-carry, and he was consistent in his collision-dominance.
“He has worked unbelievably hard. I know people always say that, but he has been out for three months, so for him to come back on a very fast surface and get through 80 minutes is a credit to him and the work he has put in.”
Mercer, 22, has two England caps to his name, earned against South Africa and Japan in 2018 but like Dombrandt has not been in Jones’ thinking this season, with the injury no doubt hurting the Leeds-born forward’s chances.
Instead Jones has opted to play Sale Sharks flanker Tom Curry out of position at number eight with Billy Vunipola sidelined with a broken arm.
Speaking after the game, Mercer said: “I haven’t heard from Eddie [Jones] since before the World Cup and if it happens it happens. John Mitchell [England forward coach] is the guy I speak to and if it happens it happens. I felt good out there, I felt fit and I loved playing.
“Obviously it was my first game back for Bath and at the moment maybe getting back into the England side is a longer term thing. “
The young number eight revealed while he has been sidelined with his knee injury he has been working on his upper body strength and conditioning which has allowed him to be more dominant in collisions as demonstrated at Sixways.
Mercer continued: “There are loads of number eights playing well in the Premiership at the moment, all I can do is play well for Bath.
“I played against Ted Hill who is in the England squad and is a really good player and athlete and it is Dombrandt next week and everyone knows how well he has been playing and is a world-class player.
“For me I will enjoy this weekend and whoever I get put against next weekend I will focus on my game and not worry about them.”
“I was a little bit nervous yesterday, not with my knee but with everything, but when I woke up I was ready to go and having watched the lads training for the last four months went out there and played with a smile on my face and really enjoyed it.”
But January’s Premiership player of the month Dombrandt will be looking to wipe that smile off having already beaten Bath twice this season in the Heineken Champions Cup.
Dombrandt, who is also 22, is having a stunning season having made more metres in the Champions Cup than any other player in the competition (208) after the group stages after a rampaging campaign and has scored nine tries in all competitions including one on Saturday in Harlequins’ 15-29 defeat to London Irish.