BEN YOUNGS: THIS IS MY TIME

BEN YOUNGS and Dan Cole should find themselves in illustrious company on Thursday, when the Leicester pair join Jonny Wilkinson in third place on the list of England’s most-capped players. The Tigers veterans are expected to make their 91st appearances for their country in the World Cup Pool C encounter with the USA, putting them level with the iconic No 10. Only two men have played more times for the national team: Dylan Hartley, 97, and Jason Leonard, 114. youngs said: ‘I didn’t know. I’m in this World Cup bubble at the moment — I had no idea. Maybe it is something I will think about after and think it’s pretty nice. ‘I remember making my first start for England in Australia (in 2010) and Jonny was involved. He’s an icon of the game and to get this accolade is pretty cool. ‘It has gone quick. When I first started some of the players told me to enjoy it because it would go so fast. It does, but it has been an enjoyable ride at times.’ Asked if he is enjoying his England career more than ever, the country’s pre-eminent scrum-half added: ‘yeah. As you get older, you understand what gets you there. The hard bit is sustaining it, staying there and being consistent.’ youngs has certainly sustained it, to the point where he is indispensable in Eddie Jones’s squad. He is one of only two England scrum-halves in Japan and the other, Willi Heinz, is a newcomer. Having just turned 30, youngs is one of only three England players who are taking part in their third World Cup. The last two ended badly, because of off-field controversy the first time — such as dwarf-tossing in Queenstown and harbour diving in Auckland — and on-field problems four years ago. ‘I was only 22 in 2011 and I suppose you get caught up in the off-field stuff,’ said youngs (right). ‘There was a lot going on. But from those experiences, guys like myself and Coley realise so much of that stuff is in your control. you realise you can stop stuff like that and not be put in that situation. ‘In 2015, it was an on-field performance thing, which is something else you can control. ‘We have always been clear about how we want to play under Eddie, so I don’t see it being a problem at all. If you combine both of those elements and bring the lessons into 2019, you’d hope that our experiences would help us. ‘Of course I would like to be involved in one World Cup where it’s a success, so hopefully we get an opportunity to do that here.’ Cole fought hard to regain his lost status as the leading understudy to Kyle Sinckler at tighthead prop, meaning he too is involved in his third World Cup. ‘The last two tournaments weren’t great for England,’ said the 32-year-old. ‘Both times we were unable to fulfil our potential. In 2015, we were maybe a bit reliant on being at home and having the power of the nation behind us. ‘As a young player you don’t really appreciate how big the World Cup is. This time round I am fully aware of that. In 2015, we’d have to hold our hands up and say we weren’t good enough.’ Behind the scenes, England should have held their hands up and said they weren’t good enough on Sunday in their stuttering 35-3 victory over Tonga in Sapporo. Their 91-cap pair will only enjoy that personal milestone against the USA on Thursday if the team performance is vastly improved.