Youngs wants bragging rights
Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:57
Exciting talent: New England call-up Ben Youngs
Ben Youngs, England's latest call-up, will lay claim to family bragging rights if he helps fashion a win against Scotland in Edinburgh on Saturday.
Manager Martin Johnson has called up the 20-year-old to the bench for the Six Nations clash at Murrayfield, ahead of London Irish's Paul Hodgson, after a sparkling season at club level for Leicester.
Youngs's father, Nick, also a scrum-half, played for England in 1984 when they were beaten 18-6 by Scotland at Murrayfield - his only Calcutta Cup match in a six-Test career.
And Ben will be reminding him of that fact if he earns a first cap this weekend and England win for the first time in Scotland since 2004.
"If we win up there I will text him and let him know," Youngs junior told reporters at England's training base here on Tuesday.
"My whole family are really proud and I am sure my dad is booking a flight to Edinburgh now.
"I have never really thought about what he achieved and he has always been very relaxed about me playing. He says if I want to do it then 'okay' but it would not be a worry if I didn't. I have never had that sort of pressure."
Ben Youngs represented England at Under-16, Under-18 and Under-20 level before progressing to the Saxons, the national 'A' side and he has also played for his country at sevens.
However, the 20-year-old admitted he had been shocked by his rapid promotion to the starting 22 for this weekend - although he stressed he had no problems settling into the senior squad.
"Martin Johnson came and pulled me aside and said: 'You're on the bench at the weekend'. My response straightaway was that Leicester have actually not got a game this weekend so I have got the week off.
"There was a five second pause before I actually realised what he meant - it shows that I really wasn't expecting it and it has taken me totally by surprise.
"I have playing at Leicester (Johnson's old club) and playing in some fairly big games and things have accelerated far quicker than I would have imagined.
"Luckily I get on really well with a lot of the Leicester players - there is Lewis Moody and Johnno [Johnson] to speak to - so if I do start to worry and want to find out what it is like to play in a Test match they are very approachable men. They will be very quick to offer me advice - on that front I am very relaxed.
"You always dream about representing England and you come here and you are just happy to be here. It was tough meeting everyone for the first time - especially at my age - saying hello to guys that have won World Cups and achieved so much.
"But they are all really top guys and I can't thank them enough for making me settle in easily."
Johnson added: "He is an instinctive player, pretty talented and pretty fast and he has handled everything we have thrown at him. He was surprised when I told him he was on the bench. He has got a lot of skill but it was tough call on Paul Hodgson.
"There was a lot made locally in Leicester when [France's] Julien Dupuy left at the end of the last season. But they knew they had a young player to take that slot.
"He got his chance, with Harry Ellis being injured, and his basic skills have held up in big games like those against the Ospreys and Clermont."
AFP
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