Anthony Meric (31) has known two worlds. The one where the Vélodrome was among the stages for his performances, where training alongside Jonny Wilkinson was a dream come true. And then the other, quieter world: a knee rebuilt three times, a job as an electrician and a playing career continuing at regional level, at Montech.
Pleased to be approached by a media outlet, the former Toulon, Montauban and Toulouse scrum-half took the time to sit down with It’s Rugby. Between changing-room memories at RCT, his love of Toulouse FC and football, and Montech’s promotion to Fédérale 3, he looks back candidly on a full career.
IT’S RUGBY: You mentioned the pleasure of being approached by a media outlet. Did you feel a kind of hypocrisy, having been in the spotlight in the Top 14 and then nothing now?
Anthony Meric: I noticed it. When you are in the spotlight, everybody is there. When you are less exposed, there are plenty you never hear from again. That said, generally I do not like to bother people. I do not send many messages. But last year I turned 30. My mother approached some of my former team-mates and coaches. I got 30 videos, each of them wishing me happy birthday and asking how I was. It was great, it touched me a lot. There are also little gestures that do you good. Last week for instance, I was with my girlfriend and we went out to eat in Toulouse. Then Vincent Clerc went past with his wife, on a bike. He stopped, said hello, asked how I was doing. That was nice.
Where are you now, in your playing life and in your working life?
I play for Montech, in the Toulouse area. It is a small club near where I live, which called me last year and has ambitions. I do not regret the choice. We had a great time all season. We lost in the play-offs, in the last 16 against Orange, when we had been 12 points up. But we secured promotion to Fédérale 3. That is historic for the club. Experiencing a promotion in the amateur game is huge. Professionally, I am an electrician. I retrained while I was playing at Montauban. I signed up with the help of Provale and an association. On my days off I went to college. Then I got my qualification.
Was thinking about life after rugby that early a choice? A necessity?
I planned ahead for life after my career because a lot of players do not think about it. It matters, because there is a life after rugby. I wanted to move back to Montauban, since I have a house and all my family there.
Did professional rugby no longer interest you?
I would have liked to carry on longer. I did my anterior cruciate ligament three times in my right leg, in 2016, 2019 and 2021. That held my progress back. Still, I am playing rugby today. Plenty would have stopped after the second rupture.
Is that frustrating?
When I see everyone I played with on television, yes, it frustrates me. But that is how it is, that is life. If it happened that way, it was meant to happen. To avoid regrets, you have to move forward.
How is your time at Montech going?
I am loving it and enjoying it enormously. It is right next to where I live. At that club I only knew two players. There was another team nearby who had called me and where I knew lots of people. But I chose Montech because I liked the project. There are the coaches too: David Byrnes, whom I rate hugely. His presence weighed heavily in the balance. And Benoît Zanon, whom I also know from playing together at Montauban.
What did you make of the standard in Régionale 1?
I was surprised. I was not expecting that level. Physically, I thought it would be less fierce, less technical, but I was pleasantly surprised. I had already played in Fédérale 2, at Beaumont-de-Lomagne, and I found that solid. But at regional level I thought it would be weaker. When I was a professional and went to watch Racing Club Montalbanais, Montech or Moissac, I did not find the standard exceptional… That was barely four or five years ago. It has changed a lot.
What do you put that down to? Former professionals now filling these teams?
Yes, there are a lot of former players. And there is more and more progress in the way the game is played and in the physiques.
I am ready to accept an offer from a professional club, whether in the Top 14, Pro D2 or Nationale
With your impressive CV, do opponents target you?
(laughs) Yes, I am often a target. I get wound up and some ask me: “What are you doing here?” There was a match at the start of last season, against Saint-Jory. I was at fly-half but only played 14 minutes. We run an attacking play, I make the pass, and the opposition No. 8 arrives five seconds later into my ribs. After the match I found out, through a friend who knows a lot of people there, that I had in fact been targeted.
Do you still believe a professional club might call?
No. Given my level, I do not think so. It would be too risky to call up a player like me, who now plays amateur rugby and has been out of the professional world for three years. The rhythm of life and of training is nothing like the same. Still, I am ready to accept an offer from a professional club, whether in the Top 14, Pro D2 or Nationale.
Was leaving Toulon a hard choice?
I did spend seven years at Toulon… so inevitably. I had put together a few good games as a starter. One at the Vélodrome against Toulouse in particular. It was going very well. I worked with all the great coaches, big names, and played alongside big stars. What hurt most was my injury against Castres, in a warm-up match, in 2021. That was my last major injury. I was full of confidence, everything was going well, and I injured myself on my own. A lot was expected of me, at Toulon and at Montauban too. In the end it stopped me in my tracks and it was hard mentally.
When I arrived at Toulon I was 19. It was the middle of pre-season, I had barely been there three weeks. He saw I was on my own and said to me: 'What are you doing after training? Do you want to come and eat at mine?' I went to eat at his place, with his wife, his children, Drew Mitchell and me
You mention big names… How can we not bring up Jonny Wilkinson?
Yes! When I arrived in 2014-15, he had only just stopped. He was still at the club, he came in one week a month and we would spend an hour together on kicking. He would call me and we would do sessions. It was extraordinary. When I talk about it, people cannot believe it. I am proud to have spent time with that player. He is my idol, along with another player I knew: Matt Giteau. When I arrived at Toulon I was 19. It was the middle of pre-season, I had barely been there three weeks. He saw I was on my own and said to me: “What are you doing after training? Do you want to come and eat at mine?” I went to eat at his place, with his wife, his children, Drew Mitchell and me. He did not have to do that…
Did other players leave a mark on you?
Plenty. Mathieu Bastareaud, whom I got on with very well. Among the forwards, Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe and Sergio Parisse made an impression. They are like big brothers. There are loads of others… I could easily name 20 or 25 (smiles).
Looking back, do you think you were privileged?
Privileged, yes, but because I worked for it too. I made a lot of sacrifices, I gave myself the means to get there. That said, it was not all luck. There were difficult moments to handle, which shaped the rest of my career.
Do those health and injury problems still follow you today?
No, not at all. I went to Lyon to be operated on, to get the best surgeon. He looked into why the ligament was rupturing so easily. I had major surgery, and since then everything has been fine. I feel great, I no longer have any discomfort or pain.
If you had to name one moment of your career, it would be…
With the Under-20s, we lost in the semi-final against the All Blacks (in 2015, ed.). All right, we took a hammering, but it was extraordinary. It is a vivid memory, as is my first Top 14 match.
You were part of that golden generation…
There was Julien Marchand, Camille Chat and Quentin Lespiaucq, at hooker alone. We also had Macalou, Sanconnie, Cancoriet, Jelonch, Ramos, Penaud, Dupont, Méret… It was a fine generation, yes.
I am a big Toulouse FC supporter
You were also Antoine Dupont’s medical joker at Toulouse…
At that point at Toulon, Fabien Galthié was not really counting on me. I went to Toulouse and it went very well. I was supposed to stay, but Toulon did not want me to. When I arrived, I already knew the whole squad. They welcomed me quickly and warmly.
Do you still follow rugby as closely?
No. I barely followed the Top 14 this season. I think a certain distance has set in… I am not quite sure how to explain it. I think I had a bit too much of it at one point. I felt like switching off a little. The big fixtures I still watch, of course. These days it is football! I am a big Toulouse FC supporter.
So you play football in your free time?
Yes. There is a small club near me called Saint-Nauphary. My grandfather, who is 81, grew up there. On my mother’s side it is a football family. My grandfather is still involved, in fact, he never stops. My uncle played there too, for I do not know how many years.
Are you thinking of taking up football?
It would be a nice story. I would be happy to go if it came off. Last year I was already meant to, but I told myself that if I got injured and could no longer play rugby, it would get complicated. We will see!
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