Jonny May: ‘I felt like Mr Burns off the Simpsons – all weak and tired’ on nightmare England trip to Australia

England wing Jonny May has spoken about his nightmare trip to Australia that ended with him not playing a minute after he tested positive for Covid.

May revealed he felt exhausted the day after landing Down Under in June and a subsequent positive test meant that he would spend the next week in isolation.

The Gloucester back explained that he lost almost a stone in weight as quarantine was difficult, as he reflected on a tough period in Australia earlier this year.

Mr Burns off the Simpsons

“It was all a bit of a blur to me. I caught Covid, I am in one hotel, the doctor is flapping around as you can imagine,” May recalled of his tour with England.

“I got put in some van with this ultra-mask on, driven across town, around the back of a hotel, up this lift that looks like it is used for laundry or like a food cart – it’s not a human lift – right up to the top floor, and that was me up there on my own for seven days.

“I felt like Mr Burns off the Simpsons – all weak and tired. Three days of it was me in and out of sleep. Then you get into a little routine – get up, ring the chef, have a coffee, have your breakfast.

“I watched quite a lot of Aussie Rules Football. They have a whole channel for it so I watched a fair bit of that. I watched all of Stranger Things and Tom Brady on Disney+, it was called Man in the Arena.

“What I took from that is how he always has an influence on his team-mates. In the back of my head I was thinking, ‘if I get out of my room, just have a good influence.

“I’m not in the best position so I can contribute on the pitch, so just try to help in other ways’.”

The England finisher continued that despite being available for the third and final Test against the Wallabies, he was relieved not be picked by Eddie Jones.

“When Eddie announced the team on the Monday on the last week and I wasn’t in it, I was actually quite relieved. I would have given it a go but I didn’t feel up to it,” he said.

Relieved not to get a game

“It would have maybe been different fitness-wise if I’d played 25 games last season, but I didn’t. Everything was backed up against me in that sense.

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“I did everything I could to be available and if Eddie had picked me I probably would have given it a go, stupidly.”

May is now gearing up for the Premiership season with the Cherry and Whites and admits he can’t wait to get on to the rugby field to release his frustrations.

“I haven’t really been this excited to play for a long time because I just want to flipping play,” he said.

“I’ve done so many rehab sessions, running on my own, sitting in my hotel room, I just want to play now.”