England rugby star Jonny May is getting back to his best after help from Olympic legend Michael Johnson
Gloucester ace can now run 100m in under 10secs - and has scored two tries in his last three games
ENGLAND star Jonny May is flying again with some help from athletics legend Michael Johnson.
And that could be bad news for South Africa speedster Bryan Habana ’n Co at Twickenham on November 12.
May is back on the radar after two tries in three comeback games for Gloucester.
And the Kingsholm winger, 26, who busted his knee back in December, reckons he is as quick as ever. He said: "I’m confident my speed is back.
"My previous best time was just over 10m-a-second and I was under that a few weeks ago.
"Usain Bolt goes a lot quicker than that, though, but 10m-a-second is good going.
Related stories
"I couldn’t be in a better place considering the injury. I’m loving being a rugby player again.
"The rehab was without a doubt the hardest thing I have been through in my career.
"To have everything taken away from me, it was pretty lonely and tough at times."
May headed to the USA to speed up his recovery after meeting former 400 metres world record holder Johnson.
The track legend’s sprint school in Texas is where NFL and NBA stars go for intense training.
May said: "I wanted to do something to break it up and learn some new things.
"Michael Johnson visited us some 18 months before and his camps are about speed, so it was right up my street.
"It was a real morale lift to go somewhere different and cool and get some good work done.
"There were a lot of NFL athletes there and the French basketball team — but I was the only rugby player.
"So I would dip in and out of training groups with NFL players and basketball guys.
"I picked up a lot of skills and it was all so refreshing after being in the gym on my own for so long."
May scored one of the greatest Twickenham tries two years ago when he scorched past All Blacks Conrad Smith and Israel Dagg.
He was named in Eddie Jones’ squad for the South Africa Test despite playing just one full 80 minutes for Gloucester.
And he tried running in a wind tunnel as part of his role as an ambassador for Mitsubishi, England’s new sponsors.
May added: "Eddie has been really good and kept in touch, wanting to know how I was getting on.
"To know he rates me as a player and wants to give me an opportunity to be involved is hugely motivating."
Jonny May is speaking on behalf of Mitsubishi Motors, Official Performance Partner of England Rugby. Mitsubishi Motors is using Intelligent Motion to challenge the team ahead of the Old Mutual Wealth Series through innovative Performance Tests.