Former England international May confirmed earlier this month he would be leaving Gloucester at the end of the season, having made his senior debut in 2009 after coming through the club's academy.

While May had a spell at Leicester Tigers from 2017, he returned in 2020 and describes himself as a Gloucester player "through and through".

"Gloucester will always be my team," he said.

He scored a try in their 54-14 win against Newcastle Falcons last Saturday on his final appearance at Kingsholm, and brought his young son on to the pitch after full-time as The Shed crowd sang his name.

Yet the Challenge Cup final presents one last game for May before he bows out with Gloucester.

"I'm pretty nervous, I can feel it in my gut. This is a big game. Finals are big occasions; there's no hiding away from that. We're going to put it all on the line," he said.

"It's almost like it's in the hands of the gods. It's written in the stars what comes of it and you've just got to live it, do the best you can, and we'll see where we're at when the whistle goes."

Still, May will not let his mind wander to what winning would feel like.

"It's hard to even picture it because I've won a final with Gloucester before, I've lost World Cup finals, I've had ups and downs and good and bad," May said.

"To have a fairytale, I've almost prevented myself from believing it's possible because I know how cruel rugby can be.

"You couldnt even write it how incredible it would be."