Ugo Monye
Encyclopedia
Ugochukwu "Ugo" Chiedozie Monye (born 13 April 1983 in Islington
, London
) is an English
international rugby union
player who plays club rugby for Harlequins
in the Aviva Premiership.
As a youth Monye was a star athlete, said to have a personal best in the 100m of 10.5 seconds at the age of 16, a time to compete with future Olympians Mark Lewis-Francis
and Tyrone Edgar
in the English Schools' Championship.
Monye was a student at Lord Wandsworth College, best known for producing Jonny Wilkinson, Monye played for Hampshire U17s and U20s, as well as achieving success on the track.
In deciding which to pursue, Monye was fortunate that his former sports master Tim Richardson put him in touch with Harlequins U19 coach Colin Osborne. When the club offered him a professional contract after a few games he jumped at the opportunity and within 12 months he was a member of the England Sevens team that had won the Hong Kong Sevens. Monye was a key member of the England Sevens squad throughout the 2002–03 and 2003–04 IRB World Sevens Series, and was part of the team that competed in the 2005 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Hong Kong. He was also part of the England Saxons sides that won the Churchill Cup in 2005 and 2008. He first played for Harlequins in the friendly against Glasgow Warriors in August 2002 and began the following season with five tries in two matches including a hat trick against Rotherham Titans at Millmoor.
His scent of the line is something to which Exeter Chiefs would testify. He scored five tries against them when Harlequins won 70–5 at Twickenham Stoop as the side roared straight back to the Guinness Premiership after a season in National One during which Monye scored 16 tries. Before the 2009–10 season, he had run in 47 in 105 games for the club.
Monye scored his first try for England against Scotland at Twickenham
in the Six Nations on 21 March 2009.
Monye made his England debut in England's 39–13 victory over the Pacific Islanders at Twickenham in 2008 and started the rest of the autumn internationals against Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.
Selected for the 2009 Lions tour of South Africa and made the XV for the first Test in Durban where he came close to scoring two tries. In the first half he was prevented from scoring as he dived over the try line but Jean de Villiers got his hand underneath the ball to prevent a try. In the latter stages of the second half, Monye was through to score but was tackled by Morne Steyn and lost control of the ball.
The Lions lost the Test and Monye also lost his place being replaced by Luke Fitzgerald. The Lions lost the second Test and Monye was recalled, redeeming himself with a 70-metre intercepted try as the Lions restored pride, losing the series 2–1. He was the highest Lions try scorer of the tour with 5 tries.
In September 2010, Ugo suffered a career threatening to injury and after surgery he was sidelined for 12 weeks. This ruled him out of Martin Johnsons England Squad for the Autumn Test Series and consequently the 2011 Six Nations tournament. He returned to play for Harlequins who he helped to win the Amlin Challenge Cup, before being named in the England training squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup
at the end of the season.
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) is an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
international rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player who plays club rugby for Harlequins
Harlequin F.C.
The Harlequin Football Club is an English rugby union team who play in the top level of English rugby, the Aviva Premiership. Their ground in London is Twickenham Stoop...
in the Aviva Premiership.
As a youth Monye was a star athlete, said to have a personal best in the 100m of 10.5 seconds at the age of 16, a time to compete with future Olympians Mark Lewis-Francis
Mark Lewis-Francis
Mark Anthony Lewis-Francis is a British track and field athlete, specifically a sprinter, who specialises in the 100 metres. A renowned junior, his greatest sporting achievement at senior level has been to anchor the Great Britain and Northern Ireland 4 x 100 metres relay team to a shock gold...
and Tyrone Edgar
Tyrone Edgar
Tyrone Damien Edgar is a sprinter from Great Britain who specializes in the 100 metres.Edgar went to junior college in Kansas, USA in 2003 where he ran an impressive wind assisted 10.04 at the Junior College Championships...
in the English Schools' Championship.
Monye was a student at Lord Wandsworth College, best known for producing Jonny Wilkinson, Monye played for Hampshire U17s and U20s, as well as achieving success on the track.
In deciding which to pursue, Monye was fortunate that his former sports master Tim Richardson put him in touch with Harlequins U19 coach Colin Osborne. When the club offered him a professional contract after a few games he jumped at the opportunity and within 12 months he was a member of the England Sevens team that had won the Hong Kong Sevens. Monye was a key member of the England Sevens squad throughout the 2002–03 and 2003–04 IRB World Sevens Series, and was part of the team that competed in the 2005 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Hong Kong. He was also part of the England Saxons sides that won the Churchill Cup in 2005 and 2008. He first played for Harlequins in the friendly against Glasgow Warriors in August 2002 and began the following season with five tries in two matches including a hat trick against Rotherham Titans at Millmoor.
His scent of the line is something to which Exeter Chiefs would testify. He scored five tries against them when Harlequins won 70–5 at Twickenham Stoop as the side roared straight back to the Guinness Premiership after a season in National One during which Monye scored 16 tries. Before the 2009–10 season, he had run in 47 in 105 games for the club.
Monye scored his first try for England against Scotland at Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
in the Six Nations on 21 March 2009.
Monye made his England debut in England's 39–13 victory over the Pacific Islanders at Twickenham in 2008 and started the rest of the autumn internationals against Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.
Selected for the 2009 Lions tour of South Africa and made the XV for the first Test in Durban where he came close to scoring two tries. In the first half he was prevented from scoring as he dived over the try line but Jean de Villiers got his hand underneath the ball to prevent a try. In the latter stages of the second half, Monye was through to score but was tackled by Morne Steyn and lost control of the ball.
The Lions lost the Test and Monye also lost his place being replaced by Luke Fitzgerald. The Lions lost the second Test and Monye was recalled, redeeming himself with a 70-metre intercepted try as the Lions restored pride, losing the series 2–1. He was the highest Lions try scorer of the tour with 5 tries.
In September 2010, Ugo suffered a career threatening to injury and after surgery he was sidelined for 12 weeks. This ruled him out of Martin Johnsons England Squad for the Autumn Test Series and consequently the 2011 Six Nations tournament. He returned to play for Harlequins who he helped to win the Amlin Challenge Cup, before being named in the England training squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
at the end of the season.
External links
- Harlequins profile
- England profile
- Big tackle by Ugo Monye on Ben Blair
- Ugo Monye – Maximuscle Ambassador Profile
- http://www.spikesmag.com/features/englandrugbyunionwingerugomonyeonathletics.aspx