Ben Youngs Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Ben Youngs

Youngs representing Leicester Tigers during the Heineken Cup

Full name

Benjamin Ryder Youngs

Date of birth

5 September 1989 (age 35)

Place of birth

Aylsham, England

Height

1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)

Weight

92 kg (203 lb; 14 st 7 lb)

School

Gresham's School
Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College

Notable relative(s)

Nick Youngs (father)
Tom Youngs (brother)

Rugby union career

Senior career
Position(s)	Scrum-half
Current team	Leicester Tigers
Years	Team	Apps	(Points)
2007–2025	Leicester Tigers	338	(235)
Correct as of 15 June 2025
National team(s)
Years	Team	Apps	(Points)
2008–2009	England U20	15	(20)
2010	England Saxons	1	(0)
2010–2023	England	127	(100)
2013	British & Irish Lions	2	(0)
Correct as of 29 October 2023

Benjamin Ryder Youngs, born on September 5, 1989, is a former English professional rugby union player. He played as a scrum-half for the Premiership Rugby club Leicester Tigers. Ben Youngs holds the record for the most appearances for the men’s England national team, with 127 caps.

He started playing for his club at age 17 in 2007. In 2010, he made his debut for the England team. By 2022, he became England men’s most capped player. He played in the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final and toured Australia with the Lions in 2013. Youngs has won the Premiership Rugby championship five times with Leicester Tigers. These wins were in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2013, and 2022.

Early Life and Family
Club Career Highlights
International Career
- Playing for England
- Playing for British & Irish Lions
Career Statistics
- International Tries Scored
Awards and Achievements
See also

Early Life and Family

Ben Youngs was born on September 5, 1989, in Aylsham, Norfolk, England. His older brother, Tom Youngs, is also a rugby player. Tom played as a hooker for Leicester Tigers. Their father, Nick Youngs, also played scrum-half for both Leicester and England.

Ben Youngs is married to Charlotte. They have two children, a son named Boris and a daughter named Billie.

Club Career Highlights

Ben Youngs made his first team debut for Leicester Tigers on February 11, 2007. This was in a friendly match against Argentina. He was 17 years old when he played his first league match for Leicester. This happened on April 24, 2007, against Bristol. He became the youngest player to play in a league match for Leicester.

Youngs played 10 games for Leicester during the 2007–08 season. He was a key player in Leicester's 22–17 win against the Springboks in 2009. He scored 17 points in that match. In the 2009–10 season, he became the first-choice scrum-half. His teammates voted him Leicester Tigers Player of the Season for 2009/10. He also won the Land Rover Discovery of the Season award. He finished the season by scoring a try in the 2010 Premiership final. Leicester won against Saracens.

Youngs also played in Premiership finals that Leicester lost in 2011 and 2012. However, he started in the 2013 final where Leicester beat Northampton Saints. This win secured their 10th English championship title.

On April 8, 2017, Youngs played his 200th game for Leicester against Bath. He reached his 250th appearance for Leicester Tigers on September 13, 2020. This game was against Northampton Saints at an empty Welford Road Stadium due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Youngs scored a try in Leicester's 28–24 win.

Youngs was a replacement player in the 2022 Premiership Rugby final. Tigers won 15-12 against Saracens.

In 2024, he had heart surgery for a condition he had for some time. He had collapsed during a game. In April 2025, he announced he would retire from professional rugby at the end of the 2024–25 season. His last professional game was the Premiership final. Bath defeated Leicester 23–21.

International Career

Playing for England

Ben Youngs played for England's U-16 and U-18 teams. In March 2008, he was part of the England under-20 team that won the Grand Slam. He also played for the England Sevens team in 2008. Youngs played in the finals of the 2008 and 2009 IRB Junior World Championships.

He made his senior England debut on March 13, 2010. This was in the Calcutta Cup match against Scotland. Youngs made his first international start on June 19, 2010. England won 21–20 against Australia in Sydney. He scored a solo try in that game. On November 13, 2010, Youngs was named man of the match for his great performance against Australia. He continued to be a strong member of the England squad. He was called up for the 2011, 2015, and 2019 Rugby World Cups.

After Eddie Jones became England's head coach in 2015, Youngs remained a key player. He was one of two main scrum-halves, along with Danny Care. Youngs played in almost all of England's record-setting 18 consecutive wins. He started 15 of those games.

This winning streak included the 2016 Grand Slam. England achieved this by beating France in Paris. They also won a 3-0 series against Australia a few months later. Youngs had some of his best performances later that year. These were against South Africa and Australia in the Autumn Internationals. He scored and helped set up several tries.

Youngs was part of England's Six Nations victories in 2017 and 2020. He scored two tries in the 2020 title-deciding game against Italy. This game also marked his 100th cap for England. Youngs is only the second Englishman to reach 100 caps, after Jason Leonard. He then earned four more caps in the first Amazon Autumn Nations Cup. England won their second trophy of the year.

On February 26, 2022, Youngs became England's most capped international player. He passed Jason Leonard's record of 114 caps. On August 7, 2023, Youngs was named in England's squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. He announced his retirement shortly before earning his 127th cap. This was against Argentina in the third-place playoff.

Playing for British & Irish Lions

In April 2013, Youngs was chosen for the 2013 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia. He was one of three scrum-halves. He played in 2 official matches. He came off the bench for the first game in Brisbane. He then started the second game in Melbourne with his brother Tom Youngs. He also played in 5 unofficial games against local teams, scoring 2 tries.

Youngs was selected again for the 2017 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand in April 2017. However, on May 6, 2017, Youngs decided to withdraw from the tour. He did this for family reasons. Scotland international Greig Laidlaw replaced him.

Career Statistics

International Tries Scored

Try	Opposing team	Location	Venue	Competition	Date	Result	Score
1	Australia	Sydney, Australia	ANZ Stadium		19 June 2010	Win	21 – 20
2	Argentina	Dunedin, New Zealand	Forsyth Barr Stadium	2011 Rugby World Cup	10 September 2011	Win	13 – 9
3	Romania	Dunedin, New Zealand	Forsyth Barr Stadium	2011 Rugby World Cup	24 September 2011	Win	67 – 3
4	Ireland	London, England	Twickenham Stadium	2012 Six Nations	17 March 2012	Win	30 – 9
5	South Africa	Johannesburg, South Africa	Ellis Park Stadium		16 June 2012	Loss	27 – 36
6	South Africa	Johannesburg, South Africa	Ellis Park Stadium		16 June 2012	Loss	27 – 36
7	Italy	London, England	Twickenham Stadium	2015 Six Nations	14 February 2015	Win	47 – 17
8	France	London, England	Twickenham Stadium	2015 Six Nations	21 March 2015	Win	55 – 35
9	France	London, England	Twickenham Stadium	2015 Six Nations	21 March 2015	Win	55 – 35
10	Wales	London, England	Twickenham Stadium		29 May 2016	Win	27 – 13
11	Australia	London, England	Twickenham Stadium	2016 Autumn Internationals	3 December 2016	Win	37 – 21
12	Wales	Cardiff, Wales	Millennium Stadium	2017 Six Nations	11 February 2017	Win	21 – 16
13	Italy	Newcastle upon Tyne, England	St James's Park		6 September 2019	Win	37 – 0
14	Argentina	Tokyo, Japan	Ajinomoto Stadium	2019 Rugby World Cup	5 October 2019	Win	39 – 10
15	Italy	Rome, Italy	Stadio Olimpico	2020 Six Nations	31 October 2020	Win	34 – 5
16	Italy	Rome, Italy	Stadio Olimpico	2020 Six Nations	31 October 2020	Win	34 – 5
17	Wales	Cardiff, Wales	Millennium Stadium	2021 Six Nations	27 February 2021	Loss	24 – 40
18	Ireland	Dublin, Ireland	Aviva Stadium	2021 Six Nations	20 March 2021	Loss	18 – 32
19	Tonga	London, England	Twickenham Stadium	2021 Autumn Internationals	6 November 2021	Win	69 – 3
20	Tonga	London, England	Twickenham Stadium	2021 Autumn Internationals	6 November 2021	Win	69 – 3