Maxime MERMOZ

Biog of Maxime MERMOZ :

Maxime Mermoz knows what he wants. In July 2008, when he first wore the French shirt, in a match against Australia, he had turned down the slim chance of playing in the knock-out stages of the Top 14 with the biggest club in Europe, French champions Toulouse, to take part in les Bleus’ first tour to the antipodes under Marc Lièvremont*. He was fed up with being a stopgap. It took guts. But it had to be done. A few weeks later, after seven years of training and playing for Toulouse, Mermoz left for Perpignan where he was to blossom and his “real” career took off at last.

Mermoz is a creative inside centre, not a crash centre (1.80m, 92kg), more of a “line-breaker/passer”, as Michel Marfaing, director of Toulouse’s training set-up, described him. He is capable of delivering the right pass, even in defence, at the right time, sometimes blind, accelerating the movement while still keeping it all incredibly fluid. This is all helped by “being lightening quick off the mark,” says Jacques Brunel, manager of USAP, who had signed Mermoz from Stade Toulousain. A year after Mermoz’s arrival Brunel revealed, “We knew his potential but he has surprised us all.” One week later Perpignan became French Champions (June 2009).

The young man, impatient to succeed, too often for his own liking ignored by the Toulouse staff, had found in Catalonia the fertile soil for his breakthrough, the land of his rebirth you could even say, after so much internal suffering in his last seasons at Toulouse. “At Perpignan, I knew I would have as much chance as anybody else,” he often explained during that first incredible season. And then in June 2009, at the other ends of the earth, Lièvremont named him twice in the starting line up. “He will give us something different,” he affirmed. Ntamack, Lièvremont’s assistant, had coached the young player during the Under-21 World Cup victory in 2006, still fresh in the memory. It was time to test out Mermoz at the highest level, partnering Traille against the All Blacks (14-10 defeat) and then Fritz against the Wallabies (22-6 defeat).

The rise continued until 13 November. In Toulouse, France were to play the World Champions South Africa. Mermoz was preferred to Jauzion, the Toulouse centre, capped 61 times (then) – all the more symbolic as the younger man’s game (decision-making, creating space) could replace that of the older player in the years to come. Mermoz was partnered that evening by Yann David, another Toulouse player, less polished and more direct (106kg) than himself but who declared in admiration, “With Mermoz, rugby is never boring. It is always surprising.” France won. And then Mermoz suffered a series of injury niggles, narrowly missing out on the rendezvous with New Zealand and the 2010 Grand Slam that followed, letting Jauzion reclaim his place.

Mermoz sparkled for Perpignan until the 2010 Top 14 final, when USAP as a whole failed to turn up for the return match against Clermont (6-19), after the previous year’s victory. His return to French colours immediately afterwards against South Africa (42-17 defeat) was a big disappointment. The November 2010 tests came too soon for him after another injury and he had to watch his teammates play without him once more . Nevertheless, at 24 Mermoz remains one of the most serious contenders for the position of inside centre, as long as his body can stand the pace. As in 2009, Maxime Mermoz, now back to full fitness, was preferred to Yannick Jauzion at inside centre. Mermoz did not last the match against Scotland, leaving the field early in the second half after injuring his left shoulder again. The date was 5 February 2011. The Perpignan centre was not to play again that season. Nevertheless, he has been selected by Marc Lièvremont for the World Cup.

* In the year following the World Cup the French team left on tour without the semi-finalists of the Top 14.