Legendary All Blacks front-row Owen Franks has revealed that he was diagnosed with testicular cancer and underwent surgery to remove the tumour.
Franks, who is currently working as an assistant coach for Japan’s national team, is a two-time Rugby World Cup champion, who was a regular in New Zealand’s Test team between 2009 and 2019.
He also enjoyed two stints at club level with the Crusaders between 2009 and 2024, making more than 150 appearances for the Christchurch-based outfit and won several Super Rugby Pacific titles with that club.
In 2019, Franks moved to England to take up a contract with Northampton Saints but he returned to New Zealand to join the Hurricanes in 2022 and also had a brief stint as a medical joker at Top 14 heavyweights Toulouse during the 2023 Rugby World Cup before returning to the Crusaders where he finished his playing career in 2024.
Eddie Jones then lured the 108-Test ex-All Blacks star to assist the Brave Blossoms with their set-piece after the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific campaign and it was during Franks’ early days in Japan that he discovered a lump in one of his testicles, although he initially ignored the ailment before seeing a doctor just over a year ago.
“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind. I can’t remember (the exact date). It’s been on a year,” he told the What a Lad podcast.
‘I had symptoms of a lump’
“It wasn’t long after I got the role (with Japan). I was in Japan for six to eight weeks during that time. I had symptoms of a lump, it’s testicular cancer.
“So I went down there and did the typical thing of ignoring it. I was lifting good weights in the gym, feeling really strong. So I thought there’s nothing else to worry about.
“Life’s pretty good but there was that little voice in the back of my head that’s saying, ‘F*ck, just go get a check’, but I kept bearing it.
“From the time that I felt it to when I saw the doctor (it was) two and a half months. And it was getting sizeable, but then I was like, ‘Okay, you can’t ignore this’.
“I finally got the courage to tell my wife, because I knew that she would book me a doctor, and if she didn’t then f*cking hell.
“So luckily she did. I went to the doctor and he just said, ‘No, most guys come in and it’s, it’s not a big deal, you know, don’t worry type of thing’.
“And then he inspected and he’s like, ‘Yeah, we’ll get you screened pretty quick’.
“But the process from then to getting it screened, getting it removed, I had a testicle removed.
“Unfortunately, it came back again, the tumour two to three months later, but that whole process was an unbelievable experience here in Christchurch and the people at St. George Cancer Care, unbelievable nurses in there.
‘Grateful that I got through it’
“So yeah, being on the other side of it now hopefully, (I’m) grateful that I got through it and had the right people looking after me.”
Franks admitted that initially it was difficult to accept that something wasn’t right with his body.
“You just lie to yourself, I’ve thought about it. I think it’s, you just don’t want to face the truth, but the crazy thing is, from my own experience, once the truth hit me it’s scary for a bit,” said the 38-year-old.
“But, then your body seems to adapt and you getting to a different mode of trying to beat it and then doing everything you can, (it’s) probably similar when you get an injury or something.
“I don’t encourage anyone out there (to ignore the signs). If your body’s giving you signs, regardless of what it is, just listen, do the right thing.”
He then had to undergo chemotherapy treatment – a process which was a real eye opener for Franks.
“It was, to put it in perspective, like I feel lucky to be honest, when I was in there getting chemotherapy, there were people there who were proper battling,” he added.
“And then you think about kids and that’s a whole nother level. You’ve got your own kids. You don’t even want it to cross your mind.
“My treatment was three months, but there are people in there that were doing six-month courses. It was a short, hard round. When I met with the oncologist beforehand, he said, ‘It’ll be pretty tough’.
“And, I thought, ‘Yeah, but you know, I’m used to pain’. But then once I got through it, it was a whole nother level, but, again, I was grateful to get through it.
“I was able to finish the treatment and it was quite common with the protocol I had, the VIP chemotherapy for people to be sent to hospital if your body can’t handle it and sickness and all the other things that go with it.
“So, I managed to get through it with the support of my wife and family. But there was a whole new perspective on things. Going through that and (realising) I’m not as tough as I thought I was, but also more capable than I thought I was getting through. Cause it was something I hadn’t experienced before.”
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