1
Borthwick claps back at Zach Mercer over England selection remarks
By Ian Cameron
England head coach Steve Borthwick has said he has outlined in private what Gloucester No.8 Zach Mercer needs to do to put himself back in the selection frame for Test involvement.
ADVERTISEMENT
A clearly disappointed Mercer told the BBC last week that he was ‘done with England’ – for the time being at least – following his failure to make Borthwick’s Guinness Six Nations squad.
Mercer returned from two extraordinary seasons with Montpellier in France to Gloucester with an eye to competing for an England spot. He wasn’t able to crack England’s Rugby World Cup squad however and is now missing out again on a major squad.
“I’m done for the time being with that and I’m just going to focus on Gloucester. To come back and get given three weeks in a training camp and that was it, I was really disappointed with that,” said Mercer. “I’ve been open with Steve, I’ve told him my opinions on it. I thought I haven’t really been given a crack which is what I feel like, to not even be given a game to try and prove myself is tough.”
While Borthwick says he hasn’t seen Mercer’s remarks, he did confirm that he has outlined in private where he feels the snubbed back row needs to improve.
“Zach and I had a conversation last week. We’ve had a number of conversations over the last couple of weeks with Zach since he’s come back from injury.
“We’ve highlighted areas where players have done well and the areas where they bring a point of difference. It’s a competitive arena.
ADVERTISEMENT
“And [we highlight] areas where we want them to develop them and add to their game. That’s the same conversation I had with Zach.
“When I’m talking to a player, I’m basing it in objectivity. I’m basing it on targets for them to go after, and then we can shape a shared understanding of what we’re seeing.
“Granted, sometimes as a coach you want something specific in a team, I’m always looking at all the coaches and all the players that are able to provide that.”
Sam Simmonds has been tearing it up in Mercer’s old spot, Domkey looking ok, I likr Cuuny-Sputh, proper carrier. Quite surprising that Jacques Vermuelen hasn’t had a sniff, he’s got his 5 and is a monster. There are always names in the frame, but does any one really stand out. Mercer is a good’un, carries and tackles with a decent offload but doesn’t scream pick me.
Mercer deserves an opportunity but like Dombrandt and Simmonds he doesn't fit into the mould of a typical England number 8 and will struggle to perform in such a rigid system. Borthwick wants a batteringram.
Borthwick will prove to be,if he hasn’t already, to be a worse manager than jones
That I highly doubt.
Rather regrettably it seems being the best player in an arguably superior league means nothing to an England coach. Sad times
For the RWC, Borthwick bet on Vunipola being in form and Earl being able to cover. He was wrong on the former and right on the latter.
Mercer looked good in France as part of a more expensive squad than he would have played with in England, and earned a spot in camp on that basis. He didn't do enough against his peer group there tomget selected, and now seems to have sour grapes about it. Quite a few other players were in the same boat, and several of them got on with the job and have been selected this time around.
I can understand his frustration, but he comes across as petulant and entitled - which is never a good look when you are trying to change the mind of a coach, especially one who is detail orientated and was himself a grafter rather than a primadonna as a player. It may well be that for all his talents Mercer doesn't fit the squad culture that Borthwick is trying to build.
Unfortunately Mercer has not been outstanding in an admittedly off beat Gloucester team. As usual a player can look outstanding amongst 14 other excellent team members. It is when they are playing with less convincing team members their true ability and character show. Freddie Clark of Glucester has earned an England call up, still waiting for Zach to show some class.
mercer was the best player in 2022. If he had come back into the team then he would have been picked, but he didn’t. He played quite well in 2023, and has looked like a decent club player since coming to gloucester but has barely played.
Borthwick has said that he would select based on form, and he’s done that.