Former England international Jonny May joins French side Soyaux-Angouleme

Former England international Jonny May has announced that he will be joining French second-tier ProD2 club Soyaux-Angouleme on a two-year contract.

May is a product of Gloucester Academy and made his first start for the Cherry and Whites in a pre-season friendly against Bath in 2009. He made his first team debut in the Champions Cup game against Dragons and shortly made his first start in the Anglo Welsh Cup game against Wasps.

He made a brief stint with Leicester Tigers between 2017 and 2020 before returning back to the Cherry and Whites.

The 34-year-old made his England debut in 2013 and has featured in 78 Tests scoring 36 tries. He is also England's second highest try scorer and was part of the side that finished runners up in the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

"I don't think I've ever been more excited about signing a contract than this time," May said in a club statement.

"I'm 110 percent committed to giving my best rugby to this team.

"More than that I really want to buy into the culture of the town and the club, make friends and memories, and make Angouleme a special place for me and my family".

Soyaux-Angouleme finished 12th in the Pro12 table having won just 13 out of the 30 matches.