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'You probably need the ball passed to you to score a try, or you need a coach to like you to be picked'
England star Jonny May has left no stone unturned to make himself mentally and physically ready for a marathon season that could last 10 months. Gloucester and England wing May had what he terms “a positive lockdown” as rugby union was put on hold from March until August due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Games have come thick and fast since the sport restarted, with Gloucester’s schedule being nine Gallagher Premiership games in 51 days.
There will be a short break next month, but England then embark on a six-match autumn schedule, the 2020-21 domestic and European campaigns start, followed by the Six Nations and next summer’s British and Irish Lions’ South Africa tour.
Should May, who has scored 29 tries in 56 Tests and stands fifth on England’s all-time list, gain Lions selection and play in the third Springboks Test, his campaign will end on August 7.
“It has been a really long few seasons, and the break came at a perfect time for me,” May told the PA news agency.
“It was about regenerating and refreshing, all the while knowing we would be paying for it later down the line in terms of games coming thick and fast, and there probably won’t be a break like that again.
“I used it as a chance to get my body right and freshen up my mind.
“During the break as well, I sorted out my contract to come back to Gloucester, which I was really pleased about. It was a positive lockdown for me.
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“The way games are coming now, it is going to be challenging, but we have had five months off.
“Sitting at home watching Netflix, relaxing and doing my training in the garden, I knew what was coming, which was why I prepared as well as I could during those five months to make myself as fresh as possible.
“It’s all hands on deck, not just in rugby, but every industry.”
Only Rory Underwood, Ben Cohen, Will Greenwood and Jeremy Guscott have scored more England tries than 30-year-old May.
Sarries' massive win over Leinster hasn't won over one Irish pundit.https://t.co/68ie1KQ8mZ
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 21, 2020
He has carved a reputation among world rugby’s deadliest finishers, making him among the first names on Eddie Jones’ England team-sheet.
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“It’s hard to explain, but when you are so focused on the process – training each week, one game at a time – you don’t really pay attention to those sort of things (his England try-count),” added May, who was speaking following an announcement of a two-year deal between Gloucester Rugby and work-place and home solutions specialist BiGDUG.
“When I finish playing, I can reflect on them.
“Things like scoring tries are great, and being selected for the top teams is great, but there is only so much control you have within those things.
This would be massive! pic.twitter.com/NnYb5vvHTq
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 21, 2020
“You probably need the ball passed to you to score a try, or you need a coach to like you to be picked.
“So all you can focus on is yourself and trying to become better each day, and that is what I have prided myself on throughout my career.
“Of course, you have ambitions, and South Africa (Lions) would be incredible, but you go about that by just focusing on yourself and your own process.
“People are grateful to be playing rugby again. It’s not a case of what we haven’t got, it is just being grateful for what we do have.”
* Jonny May and Gloucester Rugby have partnered with workplace and home solutions specialist BiGDUG, who have just signed a two-year deal. www.bigdug.co.uk
Comments on RugbyPass
Ever so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
24 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
24 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
24 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
24 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to comments