Mercer played for Scotland at the U16 level
Gloucester number eight Zach Mercer was snubbed by England for the 2024 Six Nations. Mercer has impressed since returning to the Premiership and many were shocked to see him miss out.
His form has fans questioning whether he qualifies for any other nation. It was a topic on the Good, the Bad and the Rugby podcast where they suggested he could play for Scotland. However, that is not a possibility.
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Zach Mercer Scotland link
Mercer did play for Scotland at youth level, qualifying on residency grounds after attending school there when his dad was defence coach at Glasgow. He then switched at U18 level to England and was capped at a senior level in 2018 against South Africa.
Mercer’s last game for England was also in 2018 and so per new World Rugby rules he could switch allegiances. The new law states if a player has not been capped by a country in three years they can play for another international team.
However, there is a caveat to the rule which does apply to Mercer. The law only applies to a country they were born in or have a parent or grandparent born there. As Mercer qualified for Scotland on residency grounds, he cannot switch to play for the team.
There is a team Mercer could play for though: New Zealand. The Gloucester star’s father Gary was born in the country making him eligible to switch a. While it is a possibility, Mercer has said he won’t be making the move yet.
“The only other team I qualify for is New Zealand,” Mercer said via Gloucestershire Live. “So unless I fancy moving to Dunedin or Christchurch, I don’t think my missus would be too happy with that right now, but who knows what could happen in the future.”
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