Tom Youngs has revealed how he left the Leicester squad in tears after addressing his former teammates one last time following his retirement. Youngs, 35, announced he would be hanging up his boots last week but was invited by the current club captain Ellis Genge to address the side before Saturday’s victory over Bristol.
Youngs said last week this was always going to be his final season with the club but he has not appeared for the Tigers since pre-season. In October he was given indefinite leave to care for his wife, Tiffany, who is ill. He brings the curtain down on his career with 215 appearances for the club, captaining the Tigers on 98 occasions and on Saturday led the side – including his brother Ben – out before kick-off with his daughter Maisie. Tiffany was also in the crowd as Leicester went on to claim a 56-26 victory against the Bears.
“I just talked about how I’d love to do one more tackle for them and one more carry for them but I can’t,” said Youngs. “I talked about Tiff a little bit. I talked about life, and how when you’re in the moment, in that changing room, you don’t realise how good it is and how lucky you are sometimes. Ultimately, you don’t realise how cruel life can be sometimes, so you have to enjoy those moments. There wasn’t really a dry eye in the changing room. It was lovely, and those things will sit with me for a long time. Chris Ashton said he’s never been in such an emotional speech before a game, that’s all he said to me and that he appreciated being a part of my special day.”
Youngs admitted that leaving Leicester on a high – Steve Borthwick’s side are currently top of the Premiership table with a home playoff already assured and face Leinster in the Champions Cup quarter-finals on Saturday – made retirement easier given the low points the Tigers had endured in recent years. Youngs led the club through those lean years with distinction before passing the baton on to Genge.
“[Ellis] spoke to Ben [Youngs] and said they wanted me to come in the changing room, make a speech and lead the boys out,” he added. “I am very grateful for that one last opportunity. I never thought I’d get to do anything like that again. To do that one last time was fantastic.
“Captaincy sometimes makes someone. I think when Gengey was announced as captain people probably saw it as a left-field thing to do. But he’s been absolutely brilliant, class in getting the boys together and I think it’s matured him as a person. He’s played brilliantly this year, fantastically for Leicester and brilliantly for England. He’s grown as an individual hugely.”
If more recently Youngs has endured hardship at the Tigers – consecutive 11th-place finishes in the Premiership in 2019 and 2020 were obvious lows, as well as the 43-0 home defeat by Glasgow in Europe in 2017 – he has also sampled some highs, most notably when winning the 2012-13 title before being named player of the season, having successfully made the move from centre to hooker.
That was the last of Leicester’s league titles but Youngs believes Borthwick’s current squad are well-placed to bring silverware back to Welford Road. “They are well equipped to do so,” said Youngs, who won 28 England caps and played a key role in the British & Irish Lions’ successful tour of Australia in 2013.
He added: “They’re a tough side, a resilient bunch who have got belief in them ingrained now and I think that’s always tough to go and try and beat, to knock down. They’ll stay in the game all the time. It might come down to one or two decisions whether you win or lose but I think they’ll be right in the mix.
Leinster are a very good side and Leicester will get another test this weekend, but I’m sure it’s one they’ll be very excited to answer.
“You’ve got guys who have come through the academy which I think is hugely important. I’m excited by this squad, they’ve just grown and grown over the season, the belief has become more ingrained in them. That excites me because when you’ve got that belief and that confidence, it’s a very hard thing to stop at times.”
