He added: “I’m 110% 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.”

The Charente-based club finished 12th in France’s second tier, the Pro D2, this season.

May, 34, follows another England international, Maurice Colclough, in playing for Angouleme after the lock-forward did so between 1975 and 1987.

The wing joins a number of Premiership players joining French sides at the end of 2023-24, including Northampton duo Courtney Lawes and Lewis Ludlam, Saracens captain Owen Farrell, and Sale centre Manu Tuilagi.