Share

Hat-trick hero May hails 'awesome' feat

Twickenham - England wing Jonny May said it was "awesome and very special" scoring three tries at Twickenham as he did in the 44-8 mauling of France in their Six Nations clash on Sunday.

The 28-year-old - whose three tries came in the first-half of a one-sided contest taking his Test tally to 22 - said he and his team-mates had wanted to improve on their performance from the 32-20 defeat of champions Ireland last weekend.

"Trying to raise the bar after last week was the challenge, but we came out and definitely played some good rugby today," he told ITV.

"The brand of rugby we want to play, we want to put teams under pressure. I'm just doing my job, we are all working hard and putting some good performances together.

"We have learnt a lot and worked incredibly hard, and it's paid off in the end.

"To score a hat trick at Twickenham is awesome and very special, I'm very lucky."

England head coach Eddie Jones, who has bounced back spectacularly after being under pressure going into last November's Tests following a disappointing run of results, said despite being comfortably ahead at half-time the dressing-room was sombre.

"We weren't happy at half-time and we thought we had just gone off the boil a little bit," he told ITV.

"I was pleased with our second half because we shut them out, although we missed some scoring opportunities but it was better.

"It is a difficult game when you get points in front because you can get seduced by the scoreboard and you start doing things you wouldn't normally, but we kept our discipline and stuck to the game plan," added the 59-year-old Australian.

France coach Jacques Brunel admitted it had been no contest and that England had beaten them up from the start.

"There is nothing to say," the veteran coach told France 2 Television.

"The match was over by half-time, bravo to them."

Brunel, who has failed to revive the French side since replacing another veteran Guy Noves in December 2017, promised that things will be different when they face each other in the pool stage of the World Cup later this year.

"Lots of things can happen in the meantime," said the 65-year-old Frenchman.

"The conditions (in Japan) will not be the same."

England - who are bidding for their second Grand Slam under Jones - head to a potential title decider with Wales in Cardiff on February 23 with Warren Gatland's side also having won their opening two games.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1473 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2252 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE