England winger faster than Usain Bolt

As England get set to face Australia in Twickenham this Saturday, head Coach Eddie Jones will be happy knowing he has selected possibly the fastest player in test rugby, maybe even the world, Jonny May.

May revealed this week that during a rehabilitation run at the weekend he clocked in at 10.49 metres per second in a 40-metre speed test. This would transfer to 9.53 seconds over 100 metres, which bettered ‘Fastest Man Alive’ Usain Bolt’s 9.58 seconds when he set the record in 2009.

“I was gobsmacked,” said May. “I didn’t think I would go anywhere that fast. I knew I had to run flat out to test it. I was pretty nervous. And I ran quick as well, it was a bonus.”

May who joined Leicester from Gloucester at the start of the season has scored nine tries in eight games for the Tigers and just missed out on the clash against Argentina due to a hamstring strain. May puts the quick turnaround from leg injury to ‘record breaking’ run down to more emphasis on his stretching.

“I’ve always done stretching from my teenage years. The more you train, the more you need to look after your body and respect it. I spend at least three or four times as much time warming up and warming down as I do on the training pitch. It’s almost like an OCD routine.”

May has come under a lot of criticism in recent times for his performances, not least his scrummaging abilities, but one thing’s for sure with speed like his he will be a threat to the Wallabies.