Ugo and Jonny, old Schoolmates Ready to do Battle.

Twelve years ago Ugo Monye used to take the waste paper bin from his boarding house and use it as a drum as he stood on the school touchline watching the 1st XV play rugby on a Wednesday afternoon.
With the rest of the school he would be cheering on Lord Wandsworth College against all-comers and, in particular, the star sixth former who used to preside over his homework in the evening and train on the next pitch during the day.
That sixth former was Jonny Wilkinson and next Saturday he and Monye, four years below him at school, will play together for the first time together in an England jersey when they take on Australia at Twickenham, with Wilkinson at fly half and Monye, almost certainly at full back. 
“I’d really like to stand in the dressing room, look at Jonny and sing the school hymn,” Monye admitted. “But I reckon it would bring all the old emotions back and I’d start crying.
“I don’t want to sound soppy but it’s quite a romantic story. I remember Jonny clearly at school because we were in the same boarding house and he’d take prep for all the younger kids when it was his turn.
“I’d take the bin from our dormitory and bang it like a drum from the touchline as Jonny starred for our firsts. I was four years behind him at school but he never used to bully or hit me. He never used to bully anyone.
“I never heard a bad word said about him when I was at school, and I’ve never heard a bad word said about him in rugby, either. He was a model schoolboy to the extent that he was always there to help. And he was a model sportsman, too, taking his rugby as seriously and as professionally as he does now. It’s lovely that we’re finally going to play together if we’re both selected.”
The selection is a given, both for Wilkinson, back to his very best, and for Monye who, this time last year was yet to have made his England debut, but enters the 2009 autumn test series as the leading try scorer on the Lions tour to South Africa, and the form player in English rugby.
“If you’d asked me twelve months ago if I’d expected to make the Lions tour, let alone play in two tests and score the most tries, I would have said 100% no,” he explained. “I wasn’t even in the England team so I had no chance of becoming a Lion. But then I got my chance with England and after the four autumn internationals, then the big win over France in the Six Nations, I felt comfortable in an England jersey, and confident that I had the ability to play at such a level. A try-saving tackle on Thom Evans against Scotland confirmed this and I went to South Africa with the Lions full of self-belief.”
This took a dent when he missed two try-scoring opportunities during the first test in Durban in a match the Lions lost narrowly. Monye copped a fair bit of flak and was dropped for the second test, which the Lions lost to the final kick of the game, and the series.
“Being selected for the first test was the very pinnacle of my career and then, three days later, I was dropped,” he recalled. “There were a couple of lost chances which I have to put my hand up. I felt a little hard done by about the first. Against Scotland Evans had a great chance with the ball under the wrong arm and should have scored but it was deemed a great tackle by me.
“Against the Springboks the same thing happened except Jean de Villiers somehow got his hands around the ball six inches before I touched down. In this instance it was poor finishing, not a great tackle.
“Later on I stepped inside someone and Morne Steyne smacked into me, knocking the ball out of my arm. I never saw him and again, I can only hold my hands up. Afterwards Ronan O’Gara told me not to beat myself up or worry about the criticism because 99% of rugby players would have loved to have been in my boots. But I was so frustrated and had a few sleepless nights.
“I felt useless watching the second test from the stands in Pretoria knowing I couldn’t do anything. Afterwards I walked into the changing room and witnessed something I’d never seen before. Brian O’Driscoll couldn’t remember his own name, Jamie Roberts had a smashed up wrist, O’Gara couldn’t see out of his right eye, Tommy Bowe had a suspected fractured elbow, Adam Jones couldn’t get his shoulder back into his socket, Gethin Jenkins had fractured his cheekbone and most of the rest of the lads were crying. It was utter devastation and I’ve kept that sight in my memory banks. I never want to be in a changing room like that again.”
It was not much better when he returned home to the furore that was “Bloodgate” at his beloved Harlequins, with Director of Rugby Dean Richards, the club chairman, physio and doctor all departing and the club in tatters after such a promising season before.
“Now that we’ve started to turn the corner I recognise how badly it all affected us as a team,” Monye explained. “We had momentum coming into the season but that was hit badly by “Bloodgate.””
Despite this Monye has shown the character to stand out, just as he did in South Africa when he scored a length of the field try in the victorious third test. Now it is Australia in his sights and, for all the missing players through injury, Monye believes this England team can do a job.
“Look around the squad and you’ll see players on top of their game,” he said. “You can’t ask for more than that. We’ve lost a few players, but we’ve gained a few as well, and there won’t be a repeat of last year’s heavy defeats, for sure.”
Especially if the school prefect and the lad he took for prep have anything to do with it.        

The new Nike change kit, to be worn by the England team for the first time against Argentina at Twickenham on November 14th, was inspired by the iconic purple track jacket given to players who represented England in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Available to buy from November 2nd at www.nikestore.com/rugby