Departing May hopes for fairytale finish
JONNY May says he hopes to write one more glorious chapter in his career as a Gloucester player having confirmed he will leave the club in summer.
May, 34, has scored 73 tries in 191 appearances for the Cherry and Whites since coming through the club’s academy and looks set to finish his career with a start on the wing at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the EPCR Challenge Cup final against South African side the Sharks on May 24.
May, who said he returned for a second spell with Gloucester after three years at Leicester Tigers between 2017 and 2020 with the dream of adding trophies to the Kingsholm cabinet, said: “I feel like the story hasn’t quite finished being written yet.
“And what a fairytale it would be, but what a trap that is also to fall into thinking or drifting into those nice thoughts. There’s a big couple of weeks ahead, we need to stay focused, stay in the moment, and play the moment. But how amazing would that be to finish lifting a trophy?
“We have probably played our best rugby this year in the Challenge Cup and it’s incredible what we have done.
“There’s still a little bit more to be written and that’s very exciting but sport can also be cruel so let’s just see how it unfolds. I will be giving it absolutely everything I’ve got and so will the rest of the boys because there really is a chance to do something special.”
Reflecting on his long association with the club having come through Hartpury and the club’s academy to become one of England and Gloucester’s most celebrated wingers. May said: “It really has become a big part of me and my family’s life. This place has got a big part of my heart and so it’s sad to leave but I’ve had lots and lots of great times here.
“There’s something special about playing here, particularly under the lights on a Friday night.
“The Shed make it just one of the best atmospheres to play in the world. I certainly love it.
“It really is, without sounding too cliché, but like a family feel, a community feel to it, a real honest, hard-working city culture and history to it that makes it very, very special.
“So I’ll be back, I won’t be playing but I’ll be back here because it’s a special place.”
While May is not certain where his next club will be he said he hopes to play on for another couple of years with a move overseas to experience something new his most likely move.