No more nearly men tag for Tigers says new captain
NEW Leicester captain Tom Youngs reckons the pain of three successive Premiership semi-final defeats will drive his side towards next season’s title.
Tigers have reached the play-offs in each of the last 12 years, but hooker Youngs says failure to translate that into silverware since 2013 is beginning to grate as he looks to return the club to trophy-winning ways.
Youngs told The Rugby Paper: “We’ve lost successive semi-finals at Northampton, Bath and Saracens and it still hurts. I’m fed up of hearing that Leicester have made the top four, I don’t just want that, I want us to be at the top winning semi-finals and finals.
“Over the last three years we’ve maybe lost our way a little bit but that’s something we’re trying to put right.We want to go one step further next year, so our biggest goal is to stay in and around the top two in the Premiership.
“It’s hard playing semifinals away from home so my mindset is for a top two finish and that’s shared by everyone else. Even with the new boys coming in, I’m trying to feed that determination into them that what’s gone before here isn’t good enough.”
Youngs’ ascension to the Tigers captaincy follows a season he would rather forget.
Having been dropped for the Six Nations by new England boss Eddie Jones in the aftermath of last year’s World Cup disaster, Youngs sustained a back injury in March that ended both his season and any chance of a Test recall for Australia.
“I’m very pleased last season is behind me,” Youngs said.
“I thought England were outstanding in the Six Nations and in Australia and I genuinely enjoyed watching the guys play, but on the other hand it’s hard knowing that you can’t be a part of it. After being left out of the Six Nations squad, you think, ‘okay, get back on the training field, play as well as you can and earn a recall’. But then I got injured and everything goes on hold. I’ll admit it’s been tough and it’s the hardest part of the job.
“But I don’t want sympathy, I just want to get on and get playing again in September. The back’s fine now and I’m in full training again, so it’ll be good to have a full pre-season behind me and I’ll be looking to turn Eddie’s head again this autumn.”
News of Youngs becoming Leicester’s captain prompted one wag to declare on social media that: “Hartley v Youngs has just got ten times more interesting,” – a reference to the intense rivalry the pair have developed in the East Midlands derby.
Dylan Hartley, left, is now the England captain while Jamie George looks to have cemented the back-up spot, but Youngs, 29, insists he still has a Test future.
He said: “It’s always an interesting battle against Hartley, one we both look forward to. There are plenty of players around the country who relish those one-on-one fights, and with it being Saints v Leicester it always adds that bit of extra spice.
“I just want to play well for Leicester but you never give up on the dream of playing for England and I’ll never do that until I hang up the boots.
“Eddie told me what he thought after he dropped me and told me what to work on. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance last season, but I’ve got it now and I’ll certainly be looking to showcase myself and put myself back in the Test reckoning.
“When you’re a player all you want to do is succeed and play to the highest level you can. Eddie’s been in touch so it’s nice to know I’m still in his mind and if I can make it as hard for him and the selectors as possible in future, I’ll be happy.”
As Leicester captain, Youngs is following in the footsteps of illustrious, honours-laden former leaders such as Peter Wheeler, Martin Johnson, Martin Corry and Geordan Murphy, but it is a responsibility he is relishing ahead of the new campaign.
Youngs added: “I was really chuffed to be asked and it’s a massive honour to captain this team.The club’s a massive part of my life and everything it stands for I stand for as well, so I’m immensely proud to wear the captain’s armband.
“But with that comes responsibility and looking back at the successful captains Leicester have had, they’re all great people. I’d like to follow in the footsteps of those guys and if I can get a fraction of the success they had, I’ll be a happy man.
“Leicester’s a very honest, hard-working place and the guys here are very humble people. We’ve got a great group of players here now, with some new players still to come, so we’re going to be working massively hard to get back to the top.”