May hopes for 'fairy-tale ending' in final farewell

Winger Jonny May is the only player remaining at Gloucester who was part of the side that last won the European Challenge Cup in 2015.

The 34-year-old will take to the field for the final time in Cherry and White stripes on Friday, when Gloucester step out at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium against Sharks and aim to win the trophy again.

The match will bring to an end a Gloucester career in which May has scored 74 tries in 193 matches over two spells.

"I remember everything," May told BBC Points West, when asked about the victory against Edinburgh nine years ago.

"I remember we were all over them first half, we probably didn’t turn our pressure into points and then like will happen in a final there were some moments.

"Ross Moriarty got a yellow card, Billy Meakes got a red card, and all of a sudden a game that we felt we were quite in control of and quite comfortable with we’re right up against it.

"We adapted tactically, everybody stayed tight, we executed what we needed to do, and when the whistle blew we won the game. Awesome.

"I’m very lucky to have won a trophy with Gloucester. You don’t know when you’re a bit younger how often these opportunities are going to come around."

Former England winger May confirmed he would be leaving Gloucester at the end of the season earlier this month, having made his senior debut in 2009 after coming through the club's academy.

While May had a spell at Leicester Tigers from 2017, he returned in 2020 and describes himself as a Gloucester player "through and through".

"Gloucester will always be my team," he said.

He scored a try in their 54-14 win against Newcastle Falcons last Saturday on his final appearance at Kingsholm, and brought his young son on to the pitch after full-time as The Shed crowd sang his name.

Yet the Challenge Cup final presents one last game for May before he bows out.

"I'm pretty nervous, I can feel it in my gut. This is a big game, finals are big occasions there's no hiding away from that. We're going to put it all on the line," he said.

"It's almost like it's in the hands of the gods. It's written in the stars what comes of it and you've just got to live it, do the best you can, and we'll see where we're at when the whistle goes."

Still, May will not let his mind wander to what winning would feel like.

"It's hard to even picture it because I've won a final with Gloucester before, I've lost World Cup finals, I've had ups and downs and good and bad," May said.

"To have a fairy tale, I've almost prevented myself from believing it's possible because I know how cruel rugby can be.

"You couldn’t even write it how incredible it would be."

May retired from international duty after the 2023 World Cup but he remains second on the list of England's all-time highest try scorers with 36 in 78 Tests.

He has not signed for a club next season although is hoping to play for a couple more years, most likely abroad.

Having been at Gloucester for so long, the simple things such as his dad picking him up on game day is what he will miss most when he leaves.

"He parks me up, I go and do my stretching, he has his fish and chips, it's the routine. I’m a creature of habit really," May said.

"Now I realise this is what I really enjoy, it’s given me real focus."

However, May said he did not feel he had "showed the very best" of himself since returning to Gloucester three seasons ago.

"It’s probably a reflection of where we are as a team," he said.

"There’s been glimpses here but probably overwhelmingly a little bit disappointing because we haven’t quite delivered what we know we can do yet."

While Gloucester's Premiership form was disappointing this season, finishing ninth in the table, the Challenge Cup has been a different story.

They go into the final unbeaten in the competition with wins against teams such as Edinburgh, Castres, Ospreys and Benetton.

"What we haven’t managed to do in the Premiership we’ve managed to find in this competition," he said.

"Let’s just do what we can to try and achieve something great and it’s nothing less than what this group - and club in the offices, the coaches, the medics, the players - this is a hard-working club. I feel like we deserve it.

"There is still a little bit of the story to be written".