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Jonny May
USO-Gloucester Rugby - 20141025 - Jonny May.jpg
May representing Gloucester during the Aviva Premiership
Full name Jonathan James May
Date of birth (1990-04-01) 1 April 1990 (age 35)
Place of birth Chiseldon, England
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight 90 kg (198 lb; 14 st 2 lb)
School Hartpury College
Rugby union career
Position(s) Wing
Current team Gloucester
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2009–2017 Gloucester 138 (310)
2009–2010 → Moseley (loan) 15 (30)
2017–2020 Leicester Tigers 44 (150)
2020–2024 Gloucester 55 (80)
2024– Soyaux Angoulême 12 (5)
Correct as of 31 January 2025
National team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
2010 England U20s 8 (30)
2012 England Saxons 2 (0)
2013–2023 England 78 (180)
2024 Barbarians 2 (0)
Correct as of 21 October 2023

Jonathan James May, born on April 1, 1990, is an English professional rugby union player. He plays as a 'wing' for a club called Soyaux Angoulême in France. He also used to play for the national team of England.

May started his senior rugby career at Gloucester. He also played for Moseley for a short time. In 2017, he moved to Leicester Tigers and then returned to Gloucester in July 2020. He played his first game for England in 2013. He played 78 games for England and scored 36 tries. This makes him England's second-highest try scorer ever. He stopped playing international rugby in October 2023.

Early Life and Rugby Start

May was born in Chiseldon, a town in Wiltshire, England. When he was a child, he played rugby for Wootton Bassett RFC. He also trained with the academy of Swindon Town, a football club.

Later, May studied at Hartpury College. There, he was part of the Hartpury College rugby team. This team was coached by Allan Lewis. Another famous player, Alex Cuthbert, who played for Wales, was also on that team. May also spent some time in Australia with the ACT Brumbies academy.

Club Rugby Career

After joining Gloucester's rugby academy, May played his first game for Gloucester Rugby in August 2009. He scored a try in his second game. His first big game was in the Heineken Cup. He then made his first start in the Anglo-Welsh Cup.

In February 2010, May played his first game in the Premiership against Leicester Tigers. He played very well and scored a try. During the 2009–10 season, he also played for Moseley on loan.

Key Moments at Gloucester

In January 2012, May scored two tries for Gloucester against Toulouse. In March 2012, he won the LV= Breakthrough Player Award. He was also named Gloucester's Young Player of the Year for 2011–2012. His amazing solo try against Harlequins was named the Try-of-the-Season. In December 2012, May signed a new contract with Gloucester.

In October 2014, May signed another long-term contract with Gloucester. He scored the winning try in the semi-final of the 2014–15 European Rugby Challenge Cup. Gloucester then won the final against Edinburgh.

May scored the first try in the 2016–17 European Rugby Challenge Cup final. However, Gloucester lost that game to Stade Français. In August 2017, May moved to Leicester Tigers. He started very well at Leicester, scoring nine tries in his first eight games.

Return to Gloucester and Final Club Moves

After three seasons with Leicester, May returned to Gloucester in April 2020. He played his last game for Gloucester in the final of the 2023–24 EPCR Challenge Cup. Gloucester lost this game to Sharks. In total, May scored 78 tries in 193 games for Gloucester during his two times with the club.

In June 2024, it was announced that May joined a French club called Soyaux Angoulême.

International Rugby Career

May scored a try for the England Under 20 team in 2010. He was part of the team that finished fourth in the 2010 IRB Junior World Championship.

In January 2012, May played his first games for the England A team. Later that year, he was chosen for the senior England team's tour to South Africa. He scored two tries on that tour.

England Debut and Major Tournaments

May was part of the squad for the 2013 tour to Argentina. On June 15, 2013, he played his first official Test match for England. England won that series.

May played in all five games of the 2014 Six Nations Championship. England won their first Triple Crown in over ten years. Later in 2014, he scored his first international try against New Zealand. He then scored two more tries against Samoa.

May scored a try in a warm-up game for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. He scored one try in the World Cup itself against Wales. England did not make it past the group stage. He was part of the team that won the 2017 Six Nations Championship. He scored tries in the 2018 Six Nations Championship against Wales, France, and Ireland.

Top Try Scorer and World Cup Final

May was the top try scorer in the 2019 Six Nations Championship. He scored six tries, including three against France. He also scored against Ireland, Italy, and Scotland. Later in 2019, he was chosen for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. He scored a try against Argentina. May played his fiftieth game for England in the quarter-final, where he scored two tries against Australia. He played in the final, but England lost to South Africa.

In 2020, May scored two tries against France in the 2020 Six Nations Championship. England won the title that year. He also scored two tries against Ireland in the Autumn Nations Cup. England won that trophy too. In February 2021, May became England's second-highest try scorer ever. He scored his thirty-second try during the 2021 Six Nations Championship.

May was not first picked for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. However, he joined the squad later due to an injury to another player. He scored his thirty-sixth and last try for England in a warm-up game against Fiji. May played in five games at the World Cup, including the semi-final against South Africa. England finished third in the tournament. After the World Cup, he announced he was stopping international rugby. He finished with 36 tries in 78 games.

In June 2024, May scored two tries for the Barbarians in a game against Fiji.

Career Statistics

International Tries Scored

Try Opposing team Venue Competition Date Result Score
1  New Zealand Twickenham Stadium, London 2014 Autumn Internationals 8 November 2014 Loss 21 – 24
2  Samoa 22 November 2014 Win 28 – 9
3
4  France 2015 Rugby World Cup warm-up matches 15 August 2015 Win 19 – 14
5  Ireland 5 September 2015 Win 21 – 13
6  Wales 2015 Rugby World Cup 26 September 2015 Loss 25 – 28
7  South Africa 2016 Autumn Internationals 12 November 2016 Win 37 – 21
8  Argentina 26 November 2016 Win 27 – 14
9  Argentina Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario, San Juan 2017 England rugby union tour of Argentina 10 June 2017 Win 38 – 34
10  Australia Twickenham Stadium, London 2017 Autumn Internationals 18 November 2017 Win 30 – 6
11  Wales 2018 Six Nations 10 February 2018 Win 12 – 6
12
13  France Stade de France, Paris 10 March 2018 Loss 16 – 22
14  Ireland Twickenham Stadium, London 17 March 2018 Loss 15 – 24
15  South Africa Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg 2018 England rugby union tour of South Africa 9 June 2018 Loss 39 – 42
16 Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein 16 June 2018 Loss 12 – 23
17 Newlands Stadium, Cape Town 23 June 2018 Win 25 – 10
18  Australia Twickenham Stadium, London 2018 Autumn Internationals 24 November 2018 Win 37 – 18
19  Ireland Aviva Stadium, Dublin 2019 Six Nations 2 February 2019 Win 32 – 20
20  France Twickenham Stadium, London 10 February 2019 Win 44 – 8
21
22
23  Italy 9 March 2019 Win 57 – 14
24  Scotland 16 March 2019 Draw 38 – 38
25  Argentina Tokyo Stadium, Tokyo 2019 Rugby World Cup 5 October 2019 Win 39 – 10
26  Australia Ōita Stadium, Ōita 19 October 2019 Win 40 – 16
27
28  France Stade de France, Paris 2020 Six Nations 2 February 2020 Loss 17 – 24
29
30  Ireland Twickenham Stadium, London Autumn Nations Cup 21 November 2020 Win 18 – 7
31
32  Italy 2021 Six Nations 13 February 2021 Win 41 – 18
33  Ireland Aviva Stadium, Dublin 20 March 2021 Loss 18 – 32
34  Tonga Twickenham Stadium, London 2021 Autumn Internationals 6 November 2021 Win 69 – 3
35
36  Fiji 2023 Rugby World Cup warm-up matches 26 August 2023 Loss 22 – 30

International Performance by Opponent

Against Pld W D L T C P DG PTS %Won
 Argentina 6 6 0 0 3 0 0 0 15 100
 Australia 7 6 0 1 4 0 0 0 20 85.71
 Fiji 3 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 5 66.67
 France 9 6 0 3 7 0 0 0 35 66.67
 Georgia 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 100
 Ireland 8 6 0 2 6 0 0 0 30 75
 Italy 8 8 0 0 2 0 0 0 10 100
 Japan 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 100
 New Zealand 5 1 1 3 1 0 0 0 5 20
 Samoa 3 3 0 0 2 0 0 0 10 100
 Scotland 5 2 1 2 1 0 0 0 5 40
 South Africa 10 4 0 6 4 0 0 0 20 40
 Tonga 2 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 10 100
 Wales 9 6 0 3 3 0 0 0 15 66.67
Total 78 55 2 21 36 0 0 0 180 70

Rugby Achievements

With England
With Gloucester
  • 1× EPCR Challenge Cup: 2014–15
  • 2× EPCR Challenge Cup runner up: 2016–17, 2023–24

See also

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