‘I never thought I would need a psychologist’ – The mental toll of being a professional rugby player

Kate Rowan
© Telegraph.co.uk

Zach Mercer has endured many highs and lows. From leaving his boyhood club Bath in 2021 to join Montpellier, winning the Top 14 in his first year in France and the league’s Player of the Year award the following season, then returning home to fight for a Rugby World Cup spot only to not make the England squad.

The Gloucester back-row remains out of the Test picture but as part of a special report by Telegraph Sport into the mental challenges associated with playing rugby union the 26-year-old has spoken out about the psychological difficulties he has endured, along with many other professional players, to highlight the importance of obtaining help and outline the specific difficulties of his sport.