Jonny May in prime condition as he targets England place
Jonny May breaks away to score his second try against Castres (Joe Giddens/PA Wire)
Jonny May says he feels "sharper than ever" after underlining his autumn Test credentials in front of England head coach Eddie Jones.
May's two-try performance during a 54-29 European Champions Cup drubbing of Castres made it nine touchdowns in eight games since his pre-season move to the Tigers from Gloucester.
And Jones, who watched from the Welford Road stands as May and company cut loose, could find it difficult to ignore him for England's autumn opener against Argentina at Twickenham on November 11.
"I came here to get better and test myself, and I am enjoying the challenge at the moment," May said. "I just want to keep going how I'm going.
"I physically feel sharper than ever, and I am learning a lot each week. I definitely feel like I am working hard and getting better.
"I am desperate to be the best and play for England, but I've got to focus on myself in order to do that."
May has claimed nine England tries in a 27-cap Test career, and he is already a go-to man for the Tigers, whose back-three combination of May, fellow wing Nick Malouf and full-back Telusa Veainu is currently tearing up opposition defences.
Between them, they claimed six of Leicester's seven touchdowns against outclassed Castres, with May extending a streak of scoring in every match except one this term.
"It is my job to make sure I am in the best positions," he added.
"Whether that is working off my wing or on the edge to put myself in the best position to beat defenders and score tries, that's why I am on the pitch.
"And I want to pack that around with a solid all-round game as well. I'm clear in what I want to do, and it is working out well. I am just finding opportunities and making opportunities at the moment, and that is what I've got to judge myself on."
Reflecting on his summer switch from Kingsholm - Leicester's Ed Slater moved in the opposite direction - May said: "I am not great with change.
"I like my system and I like my routine and it was a big change for me, but it was necessary for what I want to achieve and what I want to do.
"I am pleased I am here, and I'm enjoying it."
Leicester's bonus-point victory took them top of Pool Four, setting up crucial home and away appointments with long-standing European rivals Munster in December.
"We are top of the group, and that is where we want to be after two games," May added. "It's our first (try) bonus point, and we were ruthless with the way we went about it.
"It has been (building). That was the benchmark, and we want to be doing that for 80 minutes all the time.
"We know it's hard, but while you can probably be five per cent off, you can't be 10-20 per cent off because you will lose points in big games. So we've got to be hard on ourselves to make sure we are within that threshold all the time."