Zach Mercer made his much-anticipated return to England aiming to reignite his Test career and add to his two international caps ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
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However, head coach Steve Borthwick has overlooked Mercer, only inviting him to one training camp last summer before almost immediately being sent packing.
After being snubbed for the 2024 Six Nations, interest from Top 14 clubs in Mercer’s Premiership situation began to swirl.
Asking price:
Gloucester reportedly slapped a £1 million price tag on Mercer to buy him out of his contract, a three-year deal with an option for an additional season.
In March, Montpellier showed keen interest in bringing Mercer back to France but were rebuffed by the player. The club has since reportedly signed Saracens’ Billy Vunipola instead for the 2024/25 season.
Toulon, however, have not given up on Mercer. According to SportsMail, the 26-year-old recently visited Toulon’s facilities following the conclusion of Gloucester’s season.
The report claims Mercer is committed to another season with Gloucester before a potential return to France, which means Toulon would still need to pay a significant fee to buy him out of his contract.
Mercer’s response to being left out for the Six Nations:
Mercer said: “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.
“I just don’t feel like he values what I can offer as a player and that’s me being honest, I don’t think he values what I can bring.
“Obviously I don’t fit into the system that he wants to run and, whether I agree with that or not, it is what it is.
“My focus now is on Gloucester and England can take a step aside for the moment.”
Borthwick response:
“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.
“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
Current number 8 pecking order
- 6. Callum Chick (Newcastle Falcons)
- 5. Zach Mercer (Gloucester Rugby)
- 4. Alfie Barbeary (Bath Rugby)
- 3. Greg Fisilau (Exeter Chiefs)
- 2. Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins)
- 1. Ben Earl (Saracens)
The current 2025 British & Irish Lions squad, according to the bookies
We found it intriguing to project a smaller squad based on the favored contenders according to bookmakers’ odds as of April19, 2024.
The Lions will play a New Zealand and Australia invitational XV as part of their nine-match tour down under in 2025.
The historic fixture in Adelaide will precede Test matches with the Wallabies in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
A sell-out at the 100,000-capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground would smash records for a Lions Test match.
The series finale will be played in front of more than 80,000 fans in Sydney’s Olympic Park.
Courtney Lawes in contention:
COURTNEY LAWES: “I don’t think it’s any secret, I’d love to be involved in another Lions tour. It’s not the same, you know, the reason I retired from international rugby is because I didn’t want to be away every couple of months, for months on end. Whereas the Lions is two months, I can bring my family out and we can have a good time. Having said that, I’m not expecting it. But if I do get the opportunity I’ll be there.”
The 2025 Lions tour fixtures in full
- Saturday 28 June: v Western Force, Optus Stadium, Perth
- Wednesday 2 July: v Queensland Reds, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
- Saturday 5 July: v New South Wales Waratahs, Allianz Stadium, Sydney
- Wednesday 9 July: v ACT Brumbies, GIO Stadium, Canberra
- Saturday 12 July: v Invitational Australia & NZ XV, Adelaide Oval
- Saturday 19 July: First Test, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
- Tuesday 22 July: v Melbourne Rebels, Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
- Saturday 26 July: Second Test, Melbourne Cricket Ground
- Saturday 2 August: Third Test, Accor Stadium, Sydney
The bolded players in our proposed Lions squad represent the starting XV, according to current odds.
2025 BRITISH & IRISH LIONS SQUAD (36)
BACK-THREE (6)
- Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland) – 1/16
- James Lowe (Ireland) – 1/8
- Hugo Keenan (Ireland) – 1/5
- Tommy Freeman (England) – 4/9
- Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (England) – 8/11
- Mack Hansen (Ireland) – 2/1
CENTRE (4)
- Bundee Aki (Ireland) – 1/5
- Ollie Lawrence (England) – 1/4
- Sione Tuipulotu (Scotland) – 2/7
- Robbie Henshaw (Ireland) – 8/11
FLY-HALVES (3)
- George Ford (England) – 1/10
- Marcus Smith (England) – 8/15
- Finn Russell (Scotland) – 8/11
