England wing Jonny May hopes he can win the right to sit his Rugby World Cup entrance exams in New Zealand this summer.
Gloucester flyer May ran through England’s entire Six Nations programme, but knows fit-again speedsters such as London Irish’s Marland Yarde will heap pressure on selection for next month’s three-Test tour.
May revealed England boss Stuart Lancaster offered encouraging words at a Kingsholm meeting last week.
The 24-year-old is refusing to take a summer touring berth for granted though, likening the mental challenge of international rugby to sitting landmark tests at school or university.
Admitting the chances to earn a place in England’s World Cup 2015 squad are already thinning, May said: “There is a lot of pressure and there’s great demand and stress, but it’s about clearing your mind of all those things.
“I definitely learned a lot in the Six Nations. I think it highlighted how much the game at that level is a mental challenge.
“It’s extremely demanding mentally, almost twice as much. It’s a weird feeling before a game: it’s basically as though you’ve got an exam, and you just hope you’re fully prepared.
“The week is almost my revision in terms of preparation, in training, analysis, diet, stretching, everything.
“So that by the time the game comes you can just relax and everything then takes care of itself. That’s where I want to be when the game comes.
“Nerves are healthy and you know you’ll be under pressure, but you believe in yourself and trust in the preparation to go out and produce the goods.
“Stuart came in last week; he just wanted to catch up with Nigel and a few of the players at the same time.
“He just said keep going, and that coaches understand it’s been relatively difficult here this season.
“But I don’t like to make excuses, I would have liked to have done a little bit more since coming back from the Six Nations.”
Gloucester Rugby star May battles to keep England place
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