Lions star 'said goodbye to his dog because he thought he was going to die'
Reach Daily Express August 17, 2025 06:39 AM

Former England international Ugo Monye has disclosed how Andy Powell once "thought he was going to die" following a night out during a British and Irish Lions tour. The ex-Harlequins winger has shared the story, explaining how the back-row forward even tried to say goodbye to his dog.

Powell and Monye were squad mates on the 2009 Lions expedition to South Africa, where the visiting team suffered a 2-1 series defeat to the Springboks. Despite falling 2-0 behind, Sir Ian McGeechan's men triumphed in the third and final Test, securing a 28-9 victory. Two scores from Shane Williams and one from Monye himself contributed to clinching the win at Ellis Park.

Numerous Welsh players featured on that expedition, vastly different to the 2025 squad, which included just two in the original selection. Speaking on talkSPORT, Monye disclosed that former Cardiff star Powell landed himself in serious trouble during their festivities, leaving presenters Darren Bent and Andy Goldstein in stitches.

"I shared a room with a guy called Andy Powell," Monye began, before recounting Powell's infamous golf buggy journey down the M4 to the presenters. "Were you nervous about going to sleep?" enquired Goldstein. "100%," responded Monye.

"I remember on the night of the third Test, we'd just won and it was a brilliant night. He was just as dedicated on the pitch as he was to the social side. Everyone knows that Super Sunday is better than Super Saturday.

"Generally, before a game you would have a caffeine tablet to get yourself revved up and motivated. He took four of these after the game because he wanted to go through the night. So, he had had four caffeine tablets, a bucket load of Red Bulls, and then we got into bed at around three or four.

"0.3 seconds later he sat bolt upright, because shock horror, he is having heart palpitations. I can tell this story, because spoiler alert, he's not dead. So, he woke up, having heart palpitations, I'm not in a fit state to manage him and I'm also not a doctor. So I've left the room to try and find our team doctor who was, funnily enough, asleep. There was no one around. I was frightened.

"I go back into the room to not even consider what state he might be in. He's sat on the toilet with his phone in his hand, and his screensaver of his dog. And I was like: 'What are you doing?'

"He was saying goodbye to his dog because he thought he was going to die. I just wonder what the stories you can't tell are," joked Goldstein, before all three cracked up.

During the actual match, it was Monye who touched down for a 74-metre interception try after Wales legend Williams secured a first-half brace. Additional Welsh internationals featured in the squad that day included Stephen Jones, Mike Phillips, Matthew Rees, Martyn Williams, Alun Wyn Jones and James Hook, though the latter remained on the bench throughout.

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