25 October 2023 , 15:36
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Ben Youngs has announced he will retire from international rugby after England's third-place play-off clash with Argentina.
Youngs will start the Rugby World Cup clash to earn the 127th cap of his England career. It is the first time he will start a game at this year's tournament, in which the Red Roses surprised many by reaching the semi-finals, where they were defeated by South Africa.
The Leicester Tigers legend has been behind Alex Mitchell and club team-mate Jack van Poortvliet in the pecking order since Steve Borthwick took over as head coach. He made his international debut against Scotland in March 2010, when coach Borthwick was captain.
He is the second England player to retire from international duty in the wake of the defeat to the Springboks. Lock Courtney Lawes confirmed he was hanging up his England shirt with immediate affect after that game.
Youngs has played in four World Cups, toured with the British and Irish Lions in 2013 and is one of just five male players to be capped 100 times. His England career has been one of great success, with four Six Nations titles, including one Grand Slam, and one Rugby World Cup final appearance.
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He surpassed Jason Leonard, who won the World Cup in 2003, to become the most capped men's player in England history in February 2002. And he has admitted his pride at enjoying such a long career for his country.
Ben Youngs will retire from international rugby after the World Cup"I feel incredibly proud to have done it for this long. It has taken a huge amount of effort to do it for 13 years. It's just fitting and it feels right, and I feel so privileged to be able to play and walk away on my terms," he told the BBC's Rugby Union Daily podcast.
"You see some players have it finished for them. I'm ready to do it. I have always had this focus of getting to this World Cup and I never felt that after this World Cup I would need to carry on. I look forward to playing club rugby and supporting this team from a distance, but it's been a great ride.
"World Cups are so long away and four years is a long old time when it comes to form, injuries and different ways of playing. After the 2019 final, I wanted to get to 100 caps. I was on 99 for a while and had to wait.
"Then suddenly [Jason] Leonard's record came into sight and so I had these little milestones between 2019 and 2023 which definitely helped. If I didn't have them in between, I'm not sure I would've been able to do it.
"It takes a lot and you are competing every week to play. It's also the time away from the family. I'm so content I'm finishing on Friday. It's a great feeling and hopefully there will be one more high, then I can walk away with Courtney [Lawes]."
Youngs will continue to play for Tigers, who have lost both of their opening games of the new Gallagher Premiership season.