Jonny May gears up for head to head with Louis Rees-Zammit

JONNY May is gearing up for rugby's version of the Fast Show when he goes head-to-head with club teammate Louis Rees-Zammit on Saturday in Cardiff.

The Gloucester pair are both quick out of the blocks but May is aiming to get a fast start before they face off for England and Wales this weekend. May has spent his time in lockdown Zooming into the expertise of sprint guru Dan Pfaff in the USA.

The 30-year-old has previously picked the brains of Olympic legend Michael Johnson and shelled out his own cash to attend training camps in Arizona run by the worldbeating sprinter.

But May, who has clocked under 10.6 secs for 100m, reckons he is up against it when he goes toeto- toe with 20-year-old Rees-Zammit who is the talk of the town after exploding in this Six Nations.

May said: “On a good day… I can just about keep up with him. Listen, he is incredibly fast. As fast as I have come across. He is still very young, too, so has the potential to get quicker as well. He is a raw talent and has some skills too, he is in a good spot now and he has a lot of potential to get better.

“I will give him a wave when I see him, then you just crack on and get on with it. It's just another game and it's not like it's me and Zam, it's England v Wales and as a team we are going out there to get better, raise the bar and for me I just want to be the best player that I can be.

“The main thing is sticking to what I do, continually trying to learn and improve and working as hard as I can every day. And I mean every single day to become a better player.

“I have grown up and learnt about myself and the game. Those are my values in terms of being persistent, grown as a person, matured over that time. I still feel like I'm learning and improving now.”

But May could have the Welsh wizard's number thanks to some help from GPS boffins from the States. He added: “The GPS comes from a satellite that is orbiting the planet. They are a marker. They are something to look at to see how you are running consistently and what your speed is.

“But the main things I look for are the speed and consistency of my GPS and how I am doing on the pitch. It is a marker and feedback.”

Meanwhile England boss Eddie Jones has confirmed he did try and poach Rees-Zammit and lure him to the Red Rose.

Jones said: “I gave him a ring. I heard he was very Welsh and wanted to play for Wales and said if he was interested, we would be.

“He had to do five years qualification in terms of residency (for England) and a young guy like him is not going to sit around for five years. I wished him good luck and am pleased he is doing well; I just hope he does not do too well against us.

“Like any young player, there are areas of his game and we have to be good enough to find those areas that he is a little bit deficient in.

“I am sure Jonny will share his thoughts on him. Jonny is a very competitive player and it keeps him at the top of his game, wanting to get better.”