Ugo Monye broke onto the rugby scene in 2002 and went right to the top of the game before picking up the microphone.

Here’s a little bit more information about the wing-turned-broadcaster.

Related: BBC’s Six Nations pundits

Ten things you should know about Ugo Monye

1. Born on April 13, 1983, in Islington, London. Ugochukwu Chiedozie Monye stands at 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) and weighs 92 kg (14 st 7 lb).

2. Monye was a one-club man, as he spent his entire 13-year professional career with Harlequins, following his debut in a friendly against Glasgow Warriors in August 2002.

3. The winger was called up to the England sevens team a year after his 15’s debut for Harlequins, featuring in 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.

Read more: TNT Sports rugby line-up revealed after BT Sport rebrand

4. Monye earned his first England cap against the Pacific Islands at Twickenham in 2008, and it was the first of 14 appearances for his nation over a four-year international career. While he also earned two caps for the British and Irish Lions against South Africa in 2009, a series the Lions lost 2-1.

5. Since retiring in 2015, Monye has moved into broadcasting, working as a pundit and host for rugby matches across the BBC, ITV, and TNT for their coverage of the Six Nations, the Gallagher Premiership, and the European Champions Cup.

6. Monye also expanded his broadcasting career away from rugby when he took part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2021, but the former English international did not fair too well, finishing 11th.

7. He stars on the Rugby Union Weekly podcast for the BBC with journalist Chris Jones and England scrum-half Danny Care. While he was also announced as a captain on popular TV show A Question of Sport in July 2021. However, the show was cancelled in December 2023.

8. In April 2021, Monye was appointed chair of the Rugby Football Union’s independent advisory group on diversity

9. Monye spoke about the need to tackle rugby’s “heavy drinking” and “laddish” culture in order to become fully inclusive in an article with The Telegraph in June 2022. In November 2023, the started a conversation about racism within the sport after he reported receiving racist abuse while leaving Sandy Park after working for TNT Sports in a match between Exeter Chiefs and Gloucester Rugby.

10. As a player, Monye won the 2012 Premiership title with Harlequins, and also the 2004 and 2011 European Challenge Cups

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