Ben Youngs set to retire at the end of the season

Leicester Tigers and former England scrum-half Ben Youngs has announced that he will retire from professional rugby at the end of the season.

The 35-year-old made the announcement on his podcast For the Love of Rugby, saying it has taken a “long time to mull over and think about.”

Youngs has spent his entire club career at the Tigers, progressing through the academy and making his  Premiership debut 18 years ago at the age of 17, making him the club’s youngest ever league player at the time.

The scrum-half has gone on to make 332 appearances for Leicester to date, winning five Premiership titles along the way, making his latest appearance in the 19-36 victory over Bristol Bears at the weekend, which lifted his side to second in the league ladder.

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He also amassed 127 caps for England before retiring from Test rugby after the 2023 World Cup, making him his country’s most capped player. Alongside his litany of England caps, he has a further two for the British and Irish Lions.

Youngs revealed on his podcast that he considered retiring last season, but the arrival of Michael Cheika last summer inspired him to remain for another season.

The Australian will also leave Welford Road alongside Youngs at the end of the current campaign. With Leicester in second place in the league with four rounds remaining, they have the opportunity to leave on a high.

“Saturday’s the best day of the week,” he said. “But the days in between, the older you get, the harder they become.

“For me, it’s not something that I’ve rushed into. It’s something that I’ve considered for a long time.

“So many players say ‘you know when you know,’ and they’re right. You just do, you just do. You can try and kid yourself, you can try and convince yourself, but when it’s a consistent feeling, you know that it’s the right time to call time.”