Gérald MERCERON

Biog of Gérald MERCERON :

Although Gérald Merceron’s international career did not last long he managed to pack a lot into a short space of time. During his 32 appearances (27 in 2001, 2002 and 2003) Merceron scored 267 points, was part of the 2002 Six Nations Grand Slam winning team and played in the semi-final of the 2003 World Cup (defeat against England). In the latter match, as throughout most of the competition, Merceron was picked as cover for Frédéric Michalak (8 times in 2003).  Making his breakthrough so late and above all so close to the explosion on to the scene of this brilliantly talented young Toulouse player could perhaps be seen as Merceron’s one mistake - if one can go so far as to call it that.

Before becoming a high-class understudy, Merceron was instrumental in the Tricolore attack and the hero, notably, of the against-all-odds victory over South Africa in Johannesburg in 2001 (23-32). Merceron scored 27 points comprising of one try, two conversions and six penalties. Ten months later he was the highest points-scorer in the 2002 Six Nations tournament (80 points - an average of 16 per match), and one of the major reasons behind France’s Grand Slam win, the first of the Six Nation’s era. Merceron’s points-scoring tally for that period is comparable to that of some of the rugby greats*. Fabien Galthié, Merceron’s captain and fly-half (11 times in the starting line-up together, 9 times with Merceron coming on as replacement and Galthié at number 9) recalls, “He was my half-back partner when France was number one in the IRB rankings, so we couldn’t have been too bad. I loved playing with Gérald. He was always honest. He was a brave, stout-hearted and very dynamic number 10.” The try Merceron scored between the posts after a pass from Harinordoquy, in the top of the table clash against England in the 2002 Grand Slam campaign, is a good example. He was a ball of energy when he came on to the pitch that day at the Stade de France.

Merceron retired from international rugby after the 2003 World Cup to concentrate on ASM Clermont, his club since 1996. He played in just one more final for Clermont, the European Challenge Cup final: defeat… again. Yes, again, because Merceron is one of a multitude of Clermont players seemingly jinxed when it comes to finals (losing twice in the Championship, in 1999 and 2001 against Toulouse, and once, as seen above, in the European Challenge Cup). In 1999, however, he did win the European Shield, the forerunner of the European Challenge Cup, a small consolation nevertheless.

Merceron first played rugby at Cognac in the Charente region, then moved briefly to Toulon before playing nine seasons at Clermont. In 2005 he signed for La Rochelle in the Pro D2 division, where he reached the play-offs twice and lost in the final (once more) in 2007. In 2008, at the age of 35, Merceron hung up his boots for good and entered the world of sales and marketing in the drinks industry, but he rapidly returned to the rugby fold in 2009 as coach at Rochefort (Fédérale 2). He has since passed his amateur and professional training qualifications.

* The New Zealander Daniel Carter averages around 15 points per match, the Englishman Jonny Wilkinson around 14, but they have both scored more than 1000 points in their careers.