‘Moving’ – The Guardian

In his unique, touching and honest memoir, rugby union legend Ben Youngs bares it all for the first time.

Ben Youngs has had a dream career. He was born into rugby royalty and has achieved incredible success with both his family club, Leicester Tigers, and the English men’s national team, for whom he is the most capped player of all time. His is an on-field legacy that any rugby player would envy.

But there’s more to his story than meets the eye.

In this deeply intimate memoir, the English rugby legend reveals how his remarkable record on the pitch masks what was, at times, a turbulent life off it. There have been highs: the 2019 World Cup final; a record-equalling eighteen-match unbeaten streak under Eddie Jones; finding friendship, brotherhood and a home at Leicester Tigers. But there have also been lows: losing two family members to terminal illnesses within a year; withdrawing from the Lions tour in 2017; falling out of love with rugby.

In Beyond the Line, the five-time Premiership champion and member of the 2013 winning Lions Test tour shares his full story with the public. With remarkable candour, wit and warmth, he writes of how his relationship with rugby proved pivotal to his healing process and vividly recounts the raucous nights and spontaneous adventures that only those within the inner circle typically get to witness. Inspirational and open, his story reveals not just the pressures of competition, but also the camaraderie and wild experiences that come with a life in rugby

Moving * The Guardian *

Ben Youngs is a former English professional rugby union player who plays as a scrum half for the Premiership rugby club Leicester Tigers and is the all-time appearance record-holder for the Men’s England national team. He made his club debut at seventeen in 2007 and his debut for England in 2010. In 2022, he became England men’s most capped player, with 115 appearances, subsequently earning 127 in total. He started the 2019 Rugby World Cup final and toured Australia with the Lions in 2013. Youngs has been a Premiership rugby champion five times, winning in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2022. He retired in June 2025. Beyond the Line is his first autobiography.