Jeremy Blackmore talks to Ben Mercer about rugby life just below the top level

For some, professional sport is about glory, about trophies, extraordinary moments or triumphs against the odds. Former Plymouth and Rouen centre/wing Ben Mercer, however, knows very few athletes make it to the top and, for the rest, life is very different.

He tells the story or the professional journeyman in his new book Fringes: Life on the Edge of Professional Rugby.
Italy flanker David Sisi recently told The Rugby Paper that he was enjoying the book while on lockdown in Parma, noting the parallels ...