Thomas Mercey (born 15 June 1987 in Lewisham, London) is a retired rugby union footballer who plays at prop for Northampton Saints in the Aviva Premiership.
| Birth name | Thomas Mercey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 15 June 1987 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Lewisham, London, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 113 kg (17 st 11 lb)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Dulwich College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | Birkbeck, University of London | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In 2007 he made his debut for the England Saxons having already represented England at Under 21, Under 19, and Under 16 levels.
Early life
editMercey was born 15 June 1987 in the Tower Hamlets borough of London, England. He was educated at Dulwich College who he represented at rugby as well as local National Division One side Blackheath F.C., before joining the Guinness Premiership side Saracens Academy system. While at school he represented England at Under 16 level.[2]
Club career
editSaracens 2005–2010
editHaving progressed through the Saracens Academy Mercey began to take part in the main squad in the 2004–05 season, taking part in Saracens 'A' team sides.[3]
This progression continued in the following season when he became a full-time member of the Saracens squad while still part of the Academy system on 1 July 2005.[4]
On 21 January 2006 Mercey made his debut for the Saracens first team in a Heineken Cup game against Biarritz Olympique.
The 2006–07 season saw Mercey make his Guinness Premiership debut and he went on to make four appearances, all from the replacements bench, and 13 first team appearances in all competitions.[5][6]
The 2007–08 season saw Mercey making regular first team appearances, including his first in a starting line up for a Guinness Premiership game.[5]
Northampton Saints 2010–
editOn 25 February 2010, Northampton Saints announced they had signed Mercey for the 2010–2011 season.[7]
Mercey was injured throughout the first part of the 2012/13 season but his comeback coincided with an injury to Brian Mujati and therefore Mercey started several games in a row, not scoring but turning in some good performances.
In 2014 Mercey played as a replacement as Northampton beat Saracens to win the Premiership final.[8]
International career
editMercey was first selected for England U19 duty a year ahead of many of his peers, which included four appearances in the 2005 IRB Under 19 World Championships[2] as well as outings in the 2004–05 U19 Six Nations.
Mercey was again called up for England U19 duty in the 2006 World Championships,[9] before once again taking a step up ahead of his peers to represent the Under 21 side at the 2006 IRB Under 21 World Championships featuring in winning sides against Fiji and Wales.[2][10]
At a national level he moved on from age group rugby to represent England Saxons in the Six Nations 'A' tournament, making his debut against Italy 'A' in February 2007.[2] His performance saw him soon in Saxons colours just two months later, as he appeared in every game in the Saxon's victorious 2007 Churchill Cup campaign.[2]
References
edit- ^ "Aviva Premiership Rugby – Northampton Saints". web page. Premier Rugby. Archived from the original on 2 February 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
- ^ a b c d e "RFU Profile". Rugby Football Union. 1 August 2007. Archived from the original on 29 September 2009. Retrieved 7 November 2007.
- ^ "Academy 11 named in 2004/05 squad". Saracens. 30 June 2004. Archived from the original on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2007.
- ^ "Hynard takes charge of Academy". Saracens. 3 June 2005. Archived from the original on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2007.
- ^ a b "Saracens Profile". Saracens. 7 November 2007. Archived from the original on 25 September 2009. Retrieved 7 November 2007.
- ^ "Guinness Premiership Profile". Guinness Premiership. 7 November 2007. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2007.
- ^ "Saints sign Saxons prop". Northampton Saints. 25 February 2010. Retrieved 25 February 2010. [dead link]
- ^ "Premiership final: Saracens 20–24 Northampton Saints". BBC. 31 May 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ^ "England U19s to take on world". Rugby Football Union. 20 March 2006. Archived from the original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
- ^ "England U21 13–11 Wales U21". BBC Sport. 21 June 2006. Retrieved 15 June 2010.