Ben Youngs weighing up options for future as Leicester decision looms

Exclusive: The scrum half’s deal expires at the end of the season with a number of options on the table

Ben Youngs could leave Leicester at the end of the season (Getty Images)

Former England scrum half Ben Youngs is weighing up his options for the future with his deal with Leicester Tigers due to expire at the end of the campaign.

Youngs concluded his international career after the 2023 Rugby World Cup as his nation’s most capped male player, making 127 appearances for England.

The 35-year-old has played on in the Premiership over the last two seasons at the club where he has spent his entire career since becoming Leicester’s then-youngest ever player on debut in 2007.

But his playing future could lie elsewhere amid potential interest from France, with Youngs considering his options amid considerable uncertainty at Welford Road.

Michael Cheika will depart Tigers at the end of this campaign after a single season in charge with a replacement yet to be named for the Australian, with former England defence coach Paul Gustard, currently with Stade Francais, thought to be one of those in the frame.

And Youngs admits a number of options are on the table as he contemplates his future plans.

“I’ve got until the end of the season. I am fast approaching making a decision,” Youngs, a Sage ambassador, said. “There are some options and I’m weighing them up.

“I don’t want to rush into closing any chapters. There is certainly an opportunity to do a couple of things that I’ve always wanted to do. It’s just if they are the right time now with the age of my [three] kids.

Ben Youngs retired from international rugby after the 2023 World Cup (Getty Images)

“I’m obviously waiting as well to see who comes in at Leicester. It’s been chop and change so much, whoever comes in needs to be someone whose philosophy I believe in and the way they want to play. When that has been announced – I’m hearing there are three candidates left, so we should know soon – I can make an informed decision.”

Youngs has won five Premiership titles with Leicester, and featured regularly alongside Tom, his older brother, before the hooker’s retirement in 2022.

The scrum half underwent heart surgery last year after a worrying incident during a training session, but has made 14 appearances this season, with all but two off the bench.

Youngs has already embarked on a media career, hosting the popular For The Love of Rugby podcast with teammate Dan Cole, but also thinks he might like to explore coaching in the future.

However, having been a professional player for the best part of two decades, the 35-year-old is not rushing into a role.

“I get [about coaching] a lot,” Youngs said. “Cheika asked me the other day: ‘Have you ever thought about coaching?’ Could I coach? I believe I could. Do I want to? Whenever I decide to finish, I think I need a break from the game.

“I’ll still be doing the podcast, but I think I need a break from the cognitive load. Essentially, I’ve been a player who also coaches for so many years, in terms of presenting gameplans, having strategy meetings, so I almost feel like I’ve been doing it for years.

“It’s something that interests me, but I wouldn’t want to dive into it straight away. Maybe if Cheika ends up in Australia somewhere, maybe I’ll come out with him. It’s a hell of a skill, coaching. Some of the best coaches I’ve been coached by weren’t the best players. Some of the best players I’ve played with or watched can’t then break the game down because it was so simple for them.”

Cheika, meanwhile, is thought to be a strong contender for the Wales vacancy, and has also been linked with a return to the Wallabies having previously coached Australia between 2014 and 2019.