CATCHING A LEGEND
Youngs to draw level with ‘icon’ Wilkinson on 91 caps
BEN YOUNGS will stand shoulder to shoulder with a legend when he takes on the USA on Thursday.
The nation’s focus will centre on how England bounce back from their misfiring opening gambit against Tonga when they play their second World Cup fixture here at the Kobe Misaki Stadium.
But for one Norfolk family, the occasion will be an extra cause for celebration when Youngs moves alongside Jonny Wilkinson on 91 caps.
Nine years after making his debut against Scotland in the same team as the World Cup winner, inset, the Leicester scrum-half catches up with him.
“Jonny is an icon of the game and to get this accolade is pretty cool,” said Youngs. “I remember making my first start for England and Jonny being involved.
“When you first start out, it goes fast and you’re in it and not really sure what’s going on. I remember Simon Shaw telling me to enjoy it because it would go so quick.
“But you get older and understand what gets you there, how you do it and how you sustain it. Getting there is almost the easy bit, the hard bit is staying there and being consistent in it.”
It is consistency that has been Youngs’ point of difference in the ever-competitive battle for the England No9 jersey. Just this year he has seen off the challenges of Danny Care, Richard Wigglesworth, Dan Robson and Ben Spencer – and in so doing convincing Eddie Jones that he only needs two scrum-halves in Japan.
Youngs would swap his individual accolade for a World Cup, perhaps even a semi-final appearance given that his previous two campaigns have ended before the party has really even started.
If that is to happen, he has a major role to play in influencing it. Against Tonga, England’s tempo was too pedestrian. Dropping a load of ball is one thing, doing it without real snap a greater concern.
They have one more game to get it right before the serious tests of their credentials start against Argentina on Saturday week.
The USA, on paper and current form, are better than Tonga – even if they have disappointed Jones by not picking “15 Donald Trumps”, presumably as they do not feel that is the best way to make American rugby great again. “They beat Scotland, don’t forget. There will be enthusiasm, a bit like Tonga,” said Youngs. “I suspect America will be very similar with that physicality. “They have been focusing on this game since they turned up.”