EXCLUSIVE: Why Maxime Mermoz left French rugby behind

The sea, the sun, the trophies, Maxime Mermoz appeared to have it all. But underneath all that glitter it was a different story and he reveals how a recent family tragedy reminded him of just why he was playing rugby in the first place.
When the international centre joined Toulon from Perpignan in 2012, he told The Rugby Paper the chance to win trophies was what brought him to the Cote d'Azur and, three Heineken Cups and one Top 14 title later, it is fair to say he succeeded in his quest.
But things changed last summer and it went from bad to worse when Mike Ford took over with Mermoz being overlooked, without explanation, by the former Bath boss.
The death of his father brought him back to his roots in the Vosges region of eastern France and that's when Mermoz decided he didn't want to “drag himself” to training every day anymore.
He decided to do whatever he could to be granted an early release from his contract which coincided with Leicester losing both Matt Toomua and Manu Tuilagi to injuries.
Mermoz was top of Aaron Mauger's list for a world-class replacement and, even if red tape in France delayed his arrival, the 31-year-old linked up with the Tigers two weeks ago.
Speaking exclusively to TRP from the club's training ground in Oadby, Mermoz said: “I experienced everything in Toulon with trophies and finals almost every year but I didn't recognise myself at the club anymore.
“I was having to drag myself into training every day. So I thought there was no point living in the past. I had to look forward again.
“I had wanted to leave last season and I had signed a three-year contract with an English club (believed to be Bath) last summer. The owner Mourad Boudjellal blocked the move so I thought about extending my contract in Toulon but the management turned around and told me they wanted me to leave at the end of the season.
“Then the death of my father took me back home and when I saw all my friends, who I grew up playing rugby with, I thought, ‘what am I doing getting up every morning and not being happy?'
“I needed to change my daily life. I wanted to challenge myself and living in England will give me just that. Leicester always had the image of a club deeply rooted in what rugby was all about.
“I knew how big a club Leicester was and, to be truthful, I nearly signed for the Tigers back in 2014.”
He also reckons that Toulon and Leicester, give or take a few rays of sunshine, are not that far apart, either.
He added: “To be honest, if you take away the weather and the views around Toulon, the training ground is nothing special. It's actually pretty basic.
“A brand new and expensive training ground can give you better conditions to train in but it doesn't make you better and that's not what I came to Leicester to find. I came here for the experience.
“Everything is new here. I know I'm here to work but it feels a bit like a holiday to be honest. It's a new environment, there are new places to see, I drive on the wrong side of the road. It's a big adventure for me and my family.”
Mermoz will only stay in Leicester until the end of the season but it won't be the end of his adventure across the Channel with his move to Newcastle on a three-year deal, revealed in the Fissler Files on January 22, being confirmed this week.
Spending three years at Kingston Park will give him plenty of time to make a final judgment on English rugby but, after making a Premiership try-scoring debut against Gloucester last weekend, his first impressions are positive.
He said: “I've only been here two weeks and played two games off the bench so it might be early but I'm really happy with what I've seen of English rugby so far and I've already spotted some differences from the Top14.
“The perceptions I had of the Premiership, watching it from France, look to be well-founded. Teams are keen to throw the ball around here, there is less emphasis on the forwards battle.
“You also see a lot of English players which is great to see in terms of development. The attraction in France is to play with great foreign players but it can mean that young French players are not able to have a go.”
NICK VERDIER