​Ex-Melrose and Scotland fly-half Craig Chalmers reveals prostate cancer diagnosis

The Galashiels-born 55-year-old announced that diagnosis on X, alias Twitter, this week and he’s now calling on men in the same age bracket to get themselves checked out even if, like him, they’re not showing any symptoms.

“It’s been a tough seven weeks going through all the prostate-specific antigen blood tests, MRI scans and biopsy,” tweeted Chalmers, now living in Surrey and working for a security firm.

“Sadly, I found out on Wednesday that I have prostate cancer but I have got it early and it’s contained in the prostate.

“My advice to men over 50 is to get tested as soon as possible as I had no symptoms.”

Chalmers was capped 60 times between 1989 and 1999, helping Scotland win their last grand slam in what was then the Five Nations in 1990, and also played for the British and Irish Lions in Australia in 1989.

The former Earlston High School pupil began his rugby career at Melrose, later playing for the now-defunct Borders Reivers, Edinburgh, Glasgow Warriors, London’s Harlequins and Worcester Warriors.

Prior to retiring in 2005, he started coaching at Melrose and carried on 2013, also helping out with Scotland’s under-20s, later moving on to Chinnor in Oxfordshire and Esher in Surrey.

The Scottish Rugby Union are among those to have wished him well, posting: “Everyone at Scottish Rugby is behind you, Craig. Wishing you a speedy recovery.”