Ben Youngs to take inspiration from Richard Wigglesworth and Peter Stringer in cementing England legacy
If there has been one position Eddie Jones has made little change since the World Cup, it is scrum-half.
The two in his squad for the Six Nations have been the same two he took to Japan: Ben Youngs and Willi Heinz. When he needed a replacement for the World Cup final, he turned to Ben Spencer. The Saracen has spent the Six Nations back at his club, with only the uncapped Northampton nine Alex Mitchell invited in as an “apprentice”.
Heinz, who started the victory against Scotland, is 33, and Youngs 30. He has 97 England caps, and two more for the Lions. So Sunday against Ireland will be his 100th Test overall and, assuming Jones does not decide to move on and a rare injury does not strike, he will win his 100th England cap in the final Test of the Championship in Rome.
There is little indication that Jones is about to move on. On Thursday he said "I don’t think I’ve seen as a player as passionate about playing for England as him” and praised his improvement since a tough World Cup in 2015.
Youngs’ club-mate with Leicester, Jonny May, was glowingly positive too. "I think it is his character really,” he said when asked how he had achieved such longevity. “He is a kind person and a good guy. To have that sort of positive energy has helped him out.
“As I see it with age of course you get older but is more how long you can stay fit and avoid injuries and he has managed to stay relatively fit and healthy.
“He speaks so well and he is so experienced. He speaks incredibly well at Leicester and here. He is a genuine leader of the pack. These are the sorts of things that you might not see but they are of critical value to the team.”
And Youngs himself has no interest in giving up yet – and is taking inspiration from the likes of Saracens’ Richard Wigglesworth, who is still going strong at 36, and Peter Stringer, the former Ireland scrum-half, who played until close to his 40th birthday.
“I certainly look ahead and think what do I want to look like in the next four years, next six years,” he said. “Wigglesworth gives all the scrum-halves hope at 37 and Stringer was 39 so without doubt I look ahead and think where do I want to go and how am I going to about it.”
“Wiggsy's a guy that has had longevity and is still going. I think playing in our position certainly does help. I look at some of those forwards and I think blimey how do they deal with what they go through? I think being scrum-half you are probably in a position where the likelihood is you can be a lot more durable. Guys like that are perfect examples of guys that have had long careers just through looking after themselves and being diligent on the recovery side.”
