Ben Youngs will become England’s most capped player when he surpasses Jason Leonard’s milestone of 114 appearances in Saturday’s Six Nations match against Wales at Twickenham.
Here, we look at the career of a Red Rose great.
Ever-present
When Youngs made his debut in 2010 as a fresh-faced 21-year-old replacement against Scotland, Martin Johnson was in charge of England, Jonny Wilkinson was still operating at fly-half and Steve Borthwick acted as captain. The Leicester Tiger has played under three different head coaches in Johnson, Stuart Lancaster and Eddie Jones and has been first choice scrum-half for the vast majority of his 12 years as an international. A highly popular player within the squad, Youngs has also been one of Jones’ most trusted and influential lieutenants on the pitch.
In exalted company
Only Australia great George Gregan has won more caps for his country as a scrum-half. It would be a major achievement to overhaul the former Wallabies captain’s total of 139 appearances but, even if Youngs falls short of that record, he has earned the right to be considered among the finest in his position, on these shores and beyond. Other half-backs may provide greater fizz, but the 32-year-old is still a dangerous running threat while also adding expert game-management and understanding that repeatedly executing the basics to a high standard is the key to the position.
Snapping at the heels
When England have performed poorly under Jones and the head coach has indicated a changing of the guard is looming, Youngs is typically among the first names to be suggested for the cull. Yet he has shown remarkable resilience to see off all pretenders to his throne as he consistently proves his status as England’s pre-eminent scrum-half. Danny Care, Richard Wigglesworth, Lee Dickson and Willi Heinz are among the competition seen off, while Harry Randall and Raffi Quirke are the latest threats to his control of the jersey. Both are faster and more dynamic options, most notably in open play, but are at the start of their careers and lack Youngs’ proven reliability as a decision-maker.
Future prospects
Given his enduring excellence, Youngs is on course to be involved in a staggering fourth World Cup next year. Randall and Quirke will continue to apply pressure, but fringe scrum-halves have a habit of suddenly falling out of favour under Jones – just ask Dan Robson or Alex Mitchell. By the time France 2023 arrives, new challengers could emerge with the only certainty being that Youngs – injury permitting – will still be an essential part of the squad. Entering the tournament as a 34-year-old, the question will be whether he still has the engine and same mastery of his skills to deliver on the greatest stage of all. All the existing evidence suggests that he will.
