Zach Mercer has a score to settle. Two, actually. One, a slow-burner bubbling in the background, comes in the shape of an England recall, having not played since his second Test in 2018.
More immediately, though, he and his Montpellier teammates are out to underline their supremacy over the reigning Premiership champions.
Last Sunday, Mercer scored two tries as Montpellier comfortably beat Harlequins 40-26 in the south of France. They held a 34-0 lead but still enjoy a 14-point advantage heading into Saturday’s second leg despite a spirited fightback from the London club.
Even with the lopsided scoreline, much of the post-match chat in England has focused on the losers, praising them like an ancient Greek pundit writing about Leonidas’s defeated Spartans. Even though Montpellier won by a two-try margin, they have not received the credit they deserve.
That, at least, is the perception within the Montpellier camp.
“It’s been weird to be honest with you,” Mercer says, shifting from the upbeat tone he maintai …
- April 14, 2022
