After the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Jonny May opened up about his clash with Steve Borthwick in August.
May decided to retire from international rugby after the World Cup. At 33 years old, he debuted in 2013 and stands as England men’s second-highest try-scorer ever, with 36 tries in 78 Tests, following Rory Underwood.
The conflict arose in August, shortly after the birth of his first child, Jaxon, when May received advance notice that he wasn’t initially included in the World Cup squad.
“The truth is that on the Monday before we played Wales, Steve spoke to me and said as it stands you’re not playing at the weekend and aren’t in the 33,” says May.
“That got my monkey out, I’ll be honest. I was like, “Well, what the hell am I doing here this week?”
“I reacted angrily but rationally. I went to the gym for 10 minutes and then stomped back to him and said I need another chat. I said, “I’m running this by you because maybe I don’t want to be here this week. Why am I here? I’ve got my son at home”.
“He said he didn’t want me to go home because I was next in and it wouldn’t look good if I quit now, then had to be called back in. I was like, “Fair enough, good point. Just calm down and plough on with it”.’
A few weeks later, after a cruel twist of injury fate for Anthony Watson, May was called up to the World Cup squad.
Jaco Peyper Reveals The Absolute Worst Rugby Player to Referee
International rugby union referees have a pretty tough gig.
It’s their job to officiate 30 players who are desperate to win in front of tens of thousands of supporters who complain and abuse you for every decision you make.
Yes, they’re probably well rewarded financially but is there another job in the world where you get as much abuse and scrutiny by so many people? Probably not.
In fairness, dissent in international rugby isn’t as big of a problem compared to something like football.
But who are the worst players to manage in rugby history?
Well, we’ve discovered quotes from six of the world’s finest officials down the years who told stories about trying to control some of football’s bad boys.
Interestingly, one name cropped up on three occasions…
Jaco Peyper – Johnny Sexton
The two had a number of run-ins down the years, which culminated with the 2023 Champions Cup final.
The EPCR has made available the complete transcript of the disciplinary proceedings concerning Johnny Sexton, which features comprehensive testimonies from the officials involved as well as the player’s own account of the incident.
This extensive 36-page document released by the EPCR encompasses the six-hour-long disciplinary hearing and includes detailed testimonies from Peyper and his assistants.
“I was very pleased that nobody on my team of four reacted,” said Peyper
“I have not received any contact post-match around this matter from Leinster or Johnny Sexton, and also no explanation or apology of any form for this conduct,”
Matthew Carley – Steve Borthwick
On Borthwick: “A difficult question. When I first started refereeing in the Premiership Steve Borthwick was one of the guys who was pretty intimidating.
“He saw that everything was on ‘his terms, whether you like it or not’. He had such presence. I think you learn how to deal with people like that as a ref, but Steve Borthwick, was as tough as they come.”
