The end of the road is finally approaching for England’s most-capped male player. Ben Youngs, who made a record 127 appearances for his country, has confirmed he will be retiring from professional rugby in June after more than 500 senior games for Leicester, England, the Barbarians and the British & Irish Lions in a career spanning 18 years.
Youngs has been a one-club man since his Tigers debut as a 17-year-old in 2007 but, at 35, will hang up his boots at the end of the current Premiership season. A five-times Premiership winner and three times a runner-up, he has played 332 matches for Leicester to date. In an England jersey he appeared in four World Cups and toured Australia in 2013 with the Lions, alongside his brother Tom. He was chosen for the 2017 Lions squad as well but withdrew from the tour of New Zealand for family reasons.
It has been some journey, one that has taken him from the family farm in north Norfolk to the world’s biggest stadiums without diminishing his love for the game. His father, Nick, also represented Leicester and England and, between them, the Youngs family have made 692 appearances for the Tigers.
Youngs’ class can be gauged by the dozens of rival scrum-halves who struggled to dislodge England’s “squadfather” from his starting role. After his debut as a replacement on the wing for Ugo Monye against Scotland in 2010 – Martin Johnson was the England head coach at the time and Steve Borthwick was captain – he enjoyed a lengthy duel with Danny Care and only ceased to be England’s first-choice No 9 in 2023.
It was all a far cry from his distant age-group days when Joe Simpson was picked ahead of him, only for the latter to earn just one senior cap, while Youngs pushed on well into three figures. It has not always been easy, physically or mentally, but at no stage for club or country has Youngs ever let his teammates down.
There is still a possibility of one more trophy with Leicester’s recent resurgence having enhanced their chances of a playoff spot, particularly if they beat Harlequins at Welford Road on Saturday. “It’s a bittersweet feeling really,” Youngs said. “Obviously I’m sad at the thought it’s coming to an end but I’m excited about the rest of this season [and] what this group can do.
“That’s the strange part. I’m using the ‘r’ word [retirement] but it isn’t over, there is still plenty of rugby left this season and that’s what is at the front of my mind. I’m not done, let’s not write the obituary just yet. The time will come to thank everybody who has helped me achieve what I have but that’s for when it comes to an end. For now it’s about finishing this chapter of my life with some more success.”
Despite speculation that he might have been tempted to conclude his career abroad, Youngs said playing for any club other than Leicester would have felt wrong. “It’s all I have known in club rugby, the green, red and white, and all I’ve wanted to know. The idea of playing against this club wasn’t ever an option for me. To be able to finish a one-club player will be one of my greatest achievements.”
Newcastle have sought legal advice in a bid to secure a five-figure sum in compensation for losing homegrown talent that their director of rugby, Steve Diamond, says is owed to the club from Saracens and Bath.
Diamond is frustrated that cash-strapped Newcastle, still seeking new investors, are still awaiting compensation 10 months after seeing the talented young flanker Guy Pepper move to Bath and Saracens snap up Phil Brantingham and Louie Johnson.
“Phil Brantingham and Guy Pepper left the club 10 months ago and their compensation claims still haven’t been put on the desk by the RFU,” says Diamond, currently serving a six-week ban that will prevent him coaching at Bath on Saturday. “There is a willingness to do some things quickly and expedite discipline but when it comes to the crux of the professional game this is where they are out of their depth.”
