Ben Youngs: Leicester Tigers’ former England scrum-half underwent heart surgery this year after collapsing

Former England scrum-half Ben Youngs says he underwent heart surgery this year after collapsing during an open training session with Leicester Tigers.

The 34-year-old, who is England’s most capped male player, was diagnosed with an irregular and abnormally fast heartbeat..

Youngs underwent surgery after the incident at Welford Road but says he expects to be fully fit for the start of the new Premiership season in September.

Speaking on his For The Love Of Rugby podcast, which he hosts with Tigers team-mate Dan Cole, Youngs said: “You know when I joked on the podcast a while back and we had this open training session at Leicester. , and I said I was doing fitness and I basically collapsed.

“Well, I didn’t crash, but I had to stop and lie down with my heart pounding and the rain hitting my face and I kind of threw my head to the side and forgot about all those adoring fans – 30 of them – who were all packed into the main stand at Leicester.

“And I thought, ‘This is it, this is how I’m going to go.’

“Basically, I’ve had a few of these episodes and I’ve had them my whole life. It can happen spontaneously at any stage of your life or career. And so I had it all my life, unknown to me. .”

Youngs amassed 127 caps before retiring from international duty after the 2023 World Cup.

He added: “The club was amazing because they are so often with something like this. I was checked the first time it happened, (then) the second time it happened again.

“I’m on the mend, I’m recovering. I will be fine for the start of the season.

“There’s a 90% success rate, so I shouldn’t suffer now. My ticker should be completely fine and won’t suddenly start going mental.”