The Gloucester reaction to the latest Zach Mercer exit speculation

George Skivington has reacted to speculation linking Zach Mercer with a return to France, adding that he believes the game could see more deals similar to how Dan Biggar departed Northampton to join Toulon in November 2022 after securing an early exit from his Franklin’s Gardens contract.

Persuaded by then England boss Eddie Jones to organise a return to the Gallagher Premiership from 2022 French champions Montpellier, Mercer’s Test recall hopes on the back of joining Gloucester for the 2023/24 season on a four-year deal were dashed by Jones' sacking.

By the time he arrived back across the Channel, Steve Borthwick had succeeded Jones as head coach and he has since chosen Ben Earl as his regular England No8, even over-looking Mercer when it came to England A squad selection last February.

The 27-year-old back-rower is under contract at Kingsholm until the summer of 2027, but it emerged last weekend that Toulon have proposed to buy out the final two years of his contract and bring him back to the Top 14 for the start of the 2025/26 campaign.

Ahead of next Friday’s pre-season friendly at Munster, Skivington was asked at his Tuesday afternoon media briefing if there was any truth regarding this latest speculation surrounding Mercer leaving.

“Look, from my point of view I don’t really want to talk too much about that,” he replied. “It’s common knowledge. There’s lots of teams would like to sign Zach and particularly from France, but I’d rather only talk about that when we have got something proper to talk about.”

Mercer isn’t the only high profile Gloucester back-rower linked with a move away from the club. Ruan Ackermann was said at the end of last season to have received offers from Japan League One clubs just months after agreeing to a contract extension to remain at Kingsholm.

That speculation resulted in Gloucester issuing a 13-word statement in June. “Gloucester Rugby have reaffirmed that Ruan Ackermann is in contract for next season,” it read.

However, while Mercer and Ackermann are both part of the Gloucester squad ahead of a new Premiership season that begins at home to Saracens on September 21, Skivington admitted contract buy outs will become a more regular occurrence.

The director of rugby mentioned Biggar’s exit to Toulon, an example that was followed last winter by Blair Kinghorn exiting Edinburgh and becoming a double winner with Toulouse by the end of the 2023/24 season. “Zach is obviously a very public case because he is an international and he came back to this country to play for England, but we have had lots of players try to be poached over the years and whatnot – and that is the way rugby is a little bit more now.

“We have never had it so much that you get phone calls saying, ‘Are you willing to sell someone for a transfer fee?’ The game definitely in the last four years has drifted that way but we took a lot of pride here that over the years people have chosen to stay at Gloucester even when they have been offered more money (elsewhere).

“It’s just the nature of the beast and rugby, probably like Dan Biggar and things like that, will probably see a few more of those moves as the next couple of seasons go on because money has never been more prevalent, more needed in the game that if someone does offer a business opportunity and it works out, we have seen one or two of them going on already.

“Like I say, there has always been discussions in the background but we have got a few lads in there, like Ruan last year, they are contracted and that is always going to bring a lot of attention and, as I say, that is the nature of the beast of always trying to plan ahead and talk to people. That’s the never-ending puzzle.”