Youngs and Cole: For The Love Of Rugby duo look to 2025
Leicester Tigers duo Ben Youngs and Dan Cole review at 2024, look ahead to 2025 and discussed their podcast For The Love Of Rugby.
The last 12 months has been an incredibly interesting time for rugby union for a number of reasons.
Steve Borthwick’s England had a rough back end to the year but took the scalp of Ireland in the Six Nations while Northampton won the Premiership, Toulouse picked up the Investec Champions Cup and Australia showed that next year’s British and Irish Lions tour might not be the rollover we thought.
It was also the year where podcasts became even more popular in the world of rugby, and Leicester duo Ben Youngs and Dan Cole jumped on that bandwagon.
Backed by Sage with Crowd Network, For The Love Of Rugby looks to put a positive spin on the sport and is coming up to a year of broadcasting.
Podcasting freedom from RFU
“England has shifted,” Cole tells City PM. “The RFU’s view of podcasting and social media has shifted in recent years in regards to trying to be more engaging. But obviously there is a line.
“I can’t be giving away come secrets, I never would give away come secrets, because obviously I wouldn’t be picked if I did. And also you want England to win, so giving away intel to oppositions is not going to be good for anyone.
“We try to put the game in a positive light, we try to be positive about the game and we love it. The game has gone through a tough period in the past couple of years.”
Adds Youngs on the state of rugby: “The premiership certainly is highly competitive and to think there’s 10 teams now in the league which is incredibly competitive, and the product is fantastic.
“Europe speaks for itself. I think there’s still some bits that probably need ironing out a little bit with Europe, especially with the travel and the way [playing two games at a time] and all those bits. But as a whole, the product is great.”
For The Love of Rugby
Cole remains in the mix for Borthwick’s England outfit at the age of 37 while Youngs, England’s most capped male player, is no longer in the international camp. It gives the duo a solid scope to look at the game from both inside and outside the fortress walls.
England’s Six Nations saw them topple a very strong Ireland side and challenge in France, two matches Cole puts on a pedestal for 2024.
“Rugby wise I would probably say beating Ireland in the Six Nations and that game in France, although we lost, was one of the best atmospheres I’ve played in. The French know how to put on a game of rugby,” he says.
And come 2025 rugby continues to put on major sporting events. The British and Irish Lions tour down to Australia will be followed by a Women’s Rugby World Cup in England. Between those major showcases there will be domestic and continental trophies up for grabs, as well as a major opportunity for Youngs and Cole – who are the most and second most capped England male players – to expand For The Love Of Rugby.
Cole and Youngs on 2025
“It is a massive year for the sport,” 116-cap prop Cole says. “I think with obviously the Women’s World Cup coming up, we’ve got the Six Nations and you have the Lions tour. I think probably six months ago there wasn’t a buzz around the Lions, whereas now the buzz is building.
“Domestically, you look at the Premiership, everyone could beat everyone. It’s tight as anything. It’s exciting. And with the Women’s World Cup being at home and England being favourites, you can already get the buzz that there’s momentum behind that growth, and that will continue.”
On going out to Australia for the pod, Youngs adds: “There are conversations going on currently about whether we end up going out there, or whether we do some other bits whilst we’re here.
“There’s some other bits in the pipeline where we’re looking at maybe getting on a little road trip and going around to catch up with players that are going to be selected for the tour and catching up prior to them leaving.”
Cheika on the rise
But having two Leicester stalwarts to discuss the last 12 months and look forward to 2025 would be fruitless if Michael Cheika didn’t come up.
The Australian is at the helm in the East Midlands, went on a winning streak at the start of the season but has seen back to back losses in the Premiership recently.
On Saturday Leicester takes on Harlequins in front of 80,000 at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham. But what is Cheika like?
“He’s been brilliant, For The Love Of Rugby co-host Cole concludes. “He came in and hit the ground running. He knows what he wants, and he’s not shy in telling you and going around getting it.
“If you’re part of his team he will defend you to the hilt. He’s won Europe [Champions Cup], Super Rugby, and coached internationally. He’s been with Argentina and Australia and his knowledge of the game is massive. Compete for everything is his motto.”
Adds 127-cap scrum-half Youngs: “You need that guy that has sort of been there and done it, because it’s a big club to manage. It’s a big club.
“There’s a lot of expectation around it and he knows how to win, and he knows what it takes to win. And to be honest, it’s been refreshing, coming in with that pedigree, which we may have been crying out for, and he’s arrived. And you can see the squad is sort of starting to get the most out of the individuals in the room, which is what we want.”