Jonny May is in high spirits, the sun is out and he is back in the England fold after nearly five months on the injury list after knee surgery. He is sanguine about his spell on the sidelines, something he sees as an occupational hazard, and considers himself fortunate to have had so few in his career.
He remains as amiable as ever – Eddie Jones, the England coach, no doubt whisked him back into the camp after 25 minutes of rugby under his belt for Gloucester for what he brings off the field as well as on it – and his trademark tendency to go off on engrossing tangents when reliving his layoff gives a rounded picture of how a professional athlete so obsessed with honing their craft copes with being unable to do so.
It is easy view rugby players as being hardwired differently. No doubt the average threshold for pain is considerably higher than the rest of us and clearly the medical support on offer is a significant help. Equally, the nature of the sport means there will be those for whom showing, or talking about, pain is a sign of weakness so it is refreshing to hear May detail his suffering.
“The reason I’m in good spirits now is because I wouldn’t have thought I’d be here six weeks ago,” he says. “I was getting through my bits, running all right and hitting good scores, but it was still so sore. When you break that curve you start feeling a bit happier again because being in pain and chronic discomfort can get you down.”
May has talked at length about how hard he finds it to switch off and that is only heightened when he is out injured. “That’s my work-on,” he says and there are few players more dedicated to self‑improvement. He calls himself a “student of the game, a student of speed” so the idea of forgetting about rugby, of treating himself to some winter sun, never crossed his mind while laid up.
“I hate it so much and I’m so keen to get back and play as quickly as I can, I couldn’t have gone on holiday for a week – that would have been my idea of hell. I’d rather be throwing the kitchen sink at it because that’s the only way out of it.”
Playing chess helps and watching documentaries, reading books and meditation all keep his busy mind active, but being a spectator only leads to a different form of suffering. “When you’re early days with an injury you have these thoughts where you’re like: ‘Bloody hell, how am I going to get back to doing that?’ You watch it and you’re thinking: ‘Jesus.’
“I had my meniscus repaired, it was pretty routine surgery but the bummer with it is the protocol is non weight-bearing for a month. You’re watching games of rugby when you’re standing on one leg – you’re thinking: ‘How the hell am I going to jump on this again let alone sprint around and step?’”
The injury came about after an innocuous-looking collision with his teammate Ruan Ackermann during Gloucester’s Premiership win at Saracens in January. Initially, May was hopeful that it was minor, that he would soon be joining England at their pre-Six Nations camp in Brighton, but the prognosis worsened.
If it was untimely considering someone of May’s pace and try‑scoring threat missed another disappointing Six Nations for England, it was all the more so with he and his partner, Sophie, about to move house. “The protocol is if the physio rings you, it is bad news, if he messages you it is not too bad. So the flipping phone rings, it always does just before I’m about to go to bed – you don’t sleep well after those phone calls.
“I had surgery and went home and that day Sophie had to move house because I was non-weight bearing. She was brilliant.
“I would get up and make myself a cup of coffee and then think: ‘How am I getting my cup of coffee back to the sofa?’ That is a couple of weeks in rugby for you, that is the nature of the job.”
For an impatient healer, May is aware it will still take time before he is truly hitting his straps. He gives the impression he is still unsure whether he will reach the level of form and fitness required for England’s tour of Australia. Now pain-free, however, May prefers to see the bigger picture.
“I met Eddie a couple of weeks ago. I said I am not 100% yet but it is coming together and I will be there or thereabouts. I’m open to say I am not just yet in the shape of my life, as sharp as I want to be or hitting PBs. I’m hitting good markers, I am happy to be pain-free again, I just need a game or two and a few weeks.
“I’m probably in the last quarter or so of my career and the goal is to keep exploring, keep being curious and try and enjoy myself a bit more. Be happier, enjoy it and rip in and be the best I can.”
