Jonny May: I've half an eye on Autumn International return for England

England flyer Jonny May is eyeing an international recall for the Autumn Internationals as he targets a speedy return from a serious knee injury.

After rupturing knee ligaments in December, Gloucester wing May was forced to play the role of frustrated bystander as England completed a Six Nations Grand Slam and whitewashed the Wallabies in Australia.

But now May has his sights set on a potential return against South Africa at Twickenham on November 12.

“Why not go for it?” he tells me. “But if the knee’s not right, I’ll be patient and sensible about it.

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“I’ve got plenty of time. I’m only 26.  I want to get a healthy knee and I’m confident my best days are ahead of me.”

May, who has 19 caps, was injured just a month after Eddie Jones arrived as new England boss, but a steady flow of messages from Jones has buoyed May’s confidence, as did his inclusion in Jones’s 45-man provisional squad for the Autumn Internationals.

“I got injured as soon as Eddie came in but he texted me as soon as he found out I’d got injured and has texted me every now and again to check up on me,” said May, whose club, Gloucester, are yet to record a win this season having lost against Leicester and drawn at Worcester.

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“I wasn’t expecting that but I was really pleased he did because it gave me a bit of motivation and showed I was still in his thoughts."

“I’m aware I’ve a long way to go and I’ve a lot to get right but I hope that I’ve still got some of my best days ahead of me. I definitely want to play for England again.”

May, who faces a battle with Exeter Chiefs’ Jack Nowell, Harlequins’ Marland Yarde and Bath’s Semesa Rokoduguni for the England wing berths, is scheduled to return to full fitness in the first week of October.

* This is a shortened version of an article that first appeared in The Rugby Paper. For detailed coverage of rugby in the UK at every level, see The Rugby Paper every Sunday. 

Believe the hype - Semesa Rokoduguni could tank the opposition in the Autumn Internationals

For some, he is the “wildcard” in Stuart Lancaster’s squad for the Autumn Internationals.

For others, he “may just be the most destructive wide runner to emerge in English union in years”.

The subject of this speculation? Of course you know already: Semesa Rokoduguni.

The Bath winger seems to be everywhere at the moment – and not just in the sense of him covering every blade of grass whenever he takes to the pitch and gets those fearsome thighs pumping.

The Fijian-born British Army tank driver is rivaling Jose Mourinho for column inches at the moment (well, almost), and the wider media are close to manoeuvering him into position as this Autumn’s poster boy of English rugby.

Which is all fine, except for the fact that Rojkoduguni hasn’t yet played a single minute of rugby for England.

As I write this, there are three different photos of Rokoduguni on the BBC’s Rugby Union homepage. On top of that, pretty much every sports website and newspaper in the land has carried a profile on the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards lance corporal, and Jeremy Guscott has been calling for him to start against the All Blacks a week on Saturday.

So, there is plenty of anticipation about Roko – and no little expectation.

Will he be able to handle it? As I see it, the pressure of playing for England and the media circus that goes with it won’t be an issue. Rokoduguni has taken every aspect of his rapid elevation from Army 7s player to England squad member in his stride.

The question for me is whether Rokoduguni is able to adapt to England’s defensive structure in time. Given the way the England backline was dismantled by New Zealand in the final Test last summer, will Lancaster be brave enough to pitch an EPS squad novice straight in against the All Blacks?

In such circumstances, it might be something of a gamble to start Rokoduguni a week on Saturday. But it might be a greater gamble not to start him.

Rokoduguni got the nod in Lancaster’s squad ahead of Chris Ashton and Christian Wade because of the brutal - but legal - nature of his defensive work. Ashton’s recent try-scoring record is superb and Wade has just as much x-factor in attack as Rokoduguni, but neither can rival the Bath man’s defensive work.

And with Manu Tuilagi missing due to a groin problem, England’s backline could be lacking a certain physical presence without Rokoduguni.

The stage is set for his debut. And while it would be a baptism of All Black fire, Rokoduguni has the composure – and muscle – to handle it.

"Possibility of injury is a constant shadow" says England hooker Rob Webber

England hooker Rob Webber has expressed his sympathy for injured rival Tom Youngs and declared: “The threat of injury is a shadow we all walk in.”

Youngs will miss the Autumn Internationals at Twickenham due to surgery on a shoulder injury picked up against Bath last month, and Webber knows better than most the frustrations that Youngs is going through.

Webber’s own international career has been blighted by injury, first by a serious shoulder problem and then by an ankle problem.

The Bath hooker is competing with Northampton’s Dylan Hartley for the starting berth during the Autumn Tests, with England head coach Stuart Lancaster opting to have just two hookers in the enlarged 41-strong squad confirmed this evening.

Webber, who has been capped eight times since making his debut in 2012, told me: “I feel for Tom. I’ve had my injuries and I’ve been there myself.

“The possibility of injury is a constant shadow that follows a player around.

“Staying fit is a critical part of professional rugby. Hopefully I’ve not jinxed it by saying that and hopefully I can have a good run."