19 February 2023 , 18:58
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England flanker Zach Mercer was taken to hospital for treatment after being the victim of a sickening head clash in the Top 14 game between Montpellier and Lyon on Saturday.
Mercer, capped twice by England in the 2018 Autumn internationals, collided with Lyon players Theo William and Sebastien Taofifenua in the opening moments at Stade Gerland. Play was the held up for more than 10 minutes as the 26-year-old received emergency treatment on the field.
Seemingly out cold, Mercer was placed onto a stretcher before eventually being carried off and transported to hospital. He was conscious enough to raise his hand and give a thumb up as he made his exit though, and was afforded a big ovation from both home and away fans.
His early exit proved crucial to the outcome though, with Lyon going on to win 31-21. The hosts had tries from Josiah Maraku (2), Baptiste Couilloud and Mickael Guillard, with Brandon Paenga-Amosa and Julien Tisseron crossing for the visitors.
The incident comes at the worst possible time for Mercer, just as he was being touted as a possible return to the England fold in time for the 2023 World Cup in France. His previous caps came during his stint with Bath, who he represented between 2016 and 2021 before heading overseas.
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But only after he addressed weight issues that had seemingly concerned then head coach Eddie Jones. Mercer recalled the saga on an appearance on the RugbyPass Offload podcast last year.
Mercer joined Montpellier in 2021 (Getty Images)“I remember the first phone call I had with him," he said. "He actually rang me and goes ‘Mate, Eddie here,’ and I’m like ‘Oh, hi.' I wasn’t playing for Bath that long. And he was like: ‘Mate. Do you want to play for England?’ and I’m like ‘yeah.’"
The conversation then took a different turn though. "And Eddie goes: ‘Well you effing don’t look like you want to play for England," he continued. "You’re fat, you’re lazy.’ I was like 'Oh, my god' and go ‘Yeah,’ and the phone call’s done. That’s it. It’s over.”
Mercer grew up in Scotland and represented them at youth level. He also qualified to play for New Zealand, with his father Gary Mercer playing rugby league for the country and the New Zealand Maoris.