Former England rugby union star Ugo Monye has joined the fight against prostate cancer after losing his father to the disease.
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The 41-year-old TV pundit is partnering with GenesisCare, the UK’s leading specialist cancer care provider, to promote the Know Your Roots campaign.
Monye said: “My father died of prostate cancer in 2021, and I had no idea until then that Black men are more than twice as likely to get the disease than other men. That’s a scary statistic.
“It’s so important to know your roots and share your story with others. Unlocking your family’s cancer history gives your nearest and dearest the information and knowledge they need – both now, and in the future – to help them stay vigilant and seek an early diagnosis.
“The statistics are clear: Black men are four times more likely to get prostate cancer than white men. No one knows why, and I suppose that partly explains the fear.
“But if we step beyond that fear, it’s one of the most treatable cancers, if detected early.”
According to research by GenesisCare, 83% of men are unaware that a family history of prostate or breast cancer increases their own risk of developing these conditions.
Additionally, 84% of men do not know if their parents have ever had either condition, and this lack of awareness rises to 93% regarding their siblings’ cancer history.
For more about prostate cancer, you can visit the Genesis Care website here.
The current 2025 British & Irish Lions squad, according to the bookies
We found it intriguing to project a smaller squad based on the favored contenders according to bookmakers’ odds as of April19, 2024.
The Lions will play a New Zealand and Australia invitational XV as part of their nine-match tour down under in 2025.
The historic fixture in Adelaide will precede Test matches with the Wallabies in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
A sell-out at the 100,000-capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground would smash records for a Lions Test match.
The series finale will be played in front of more than 80,000 fans in Sydney’s Olympic Park.
Courtney Lawes in contention:
COURTNEY LAWES: “I don’t think it’s any secret, I’d love to be involved in another Lions tour. It’s not the same, you know, the reason I retired from international rugby is because I didn’t want to be away every couple of months, for months on end. Whereas the Lions is two months, I can bring my family out and we can have a good time. Having said that, I’m not expecting it. But if I do get the opportunity I’ll be there.”
The 2025 Lions tour fixtures in full
- Saturday 28 June: v Western Force, Optus Stadium, Perth
- Wednesday 2 July: v Queensland Reds, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
- Saturday 5 July: v New South Wales Waratahs, Allianz Stadium, Sydney
- Wednesday 9 July: v ACT Brumbies, GIO Stadium, Canberra
- Saturday 12 July: v Invitational Australia & NZ XV, Adelaide Oval
- Saturday 19 July: First Test, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
- Tuesday 22 July: v Melbourne Rebels, Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
- Saturday 26 July: Second Test, Melbourne Cricket Ground
- Saturday 2 August: Third Test, Accor Stadium, Sydney
The bolded players in our proposed Lions squad represent the starting XV, according to current odds.
2025 BRITISH & IRISH LIONS SQUAD (36)
BACK-THREE (6)
- Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland) – 1/16
- James Lowe (Ireland) – 1/8
- Hugo Keenan (Ireland) – 1/5
- Tommy Freeman (England) – 4/9
- Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (England) – 8/11
- Mack Hansen (Ireland) – 2/1
CENTRE (4)
- Bundee Aki (Ireland) – 1/5
- Ollie Lawrence (England) – 1/4
- Sione Tuipulotu (Scotland) – 2/7
- Robbie Henshaw (Ireland) – 8/11
FLY-HALVES (3)
- George Ford (England) – 1/10
- Marcus Smith (England) – 8/15
- Finn Russell (Scotland) – 8/11