Nickname | Youngsy | ||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 28 January 1987 | ||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Norwich, England | ||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||
Weight | 104 kg (16 st 5 lb) | ||||||||||||||||
School | Gresham's | ||||||||||||||||
Notable relative(s) |
Nick Youngs (father) Ben Youngs (brother) |
||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||
Playing career | |||||||||||||||||
Position | Hooker Centre | ||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
Professional / senior clubs | |||
---|---|---|---|
Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
2006- 2010-2011 |
Leicester Tigers Nottingham (loan) |
92 23 |
(50) (35) |
Correct as of 5 September 2015
|
National team(s) | |||
---|---|---|---|
Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
2012- 2013 |
England British and Irish Lions |
28 3 |
(0) (0) |
Correct as of 10 October 2015
|
Sevens national teams | |||
---|---|---|---|
Years | Club / team | Comps | |
2007-2008 | England |
Thomas Nicholas Youngs (born 28 January 1987, in Norwich, England) is a rugby union player who plays as a hooker for Leicester Tigers and England.
Youngs is the son of former Leicester and England scrum-half Nick Youngs, and the elder brother of current Leicester and England scrum-half Ben Youngs.
Originally a centre he changed to play at hooker after advice from then Tigers coach Heyneke Meyer.
Youngs played for Gresham's School and for England Schools, and also for Holt as a junior.
He made his Tigers debut against London Irish on Boxing Day 2006, broke his leg after five minutes and came off after thirteen.
In the 2008/09 season, when he was persuaded to switch to hooker he was used by new head Coach Richard Cockerill in the Leicester "A" team as a hooker.
In the 2010-2011 season he was loaned to the Leicester feeder club Nottingham R.F.C. where he was first choice hooker.
At the start of the 2016-17 season he was announced as club captain for the Tigers, replacing lock Ed Slater after being injured for nearly half of the previous season.
In 2007-08, he was a member of the England squad at Rugby sevens.
On England's summer tour to South Africa in 2012, Youngs was taken as part of the main touring squad for experience. He played in the midweek games and his performances led to him being touted as a future England starting hooker.
Due to an injury to England's first-choice hooker Dylan Hartley and the earlier retirement of second-choice Lee Mears, Youngs was awarded the number 2 shirt for England's first 2012 Autumn International match against Fiji, and was joined on the pitch by substitute brother Ben. The Youngs brothers became the second family to have a father and two sons play for England after Sir William Milton and his sons Jumbo and Cecil. An impressive performance meant that he retained the shirt for the second test.