Tom Youngs, Leicester Tigers’ hooker, stated that there wasn’t one “dry eye” in the dressing-room as he addressed his team before leading them out of Welford Road.
Youngs said farewell to their fans at the club’s home ground on Saturday.
Youngs shared his thoughts with his team-mates, “I just discussed how I’d love one more tackle for them. One more carry for them. But I can’t.”
Tiff Youngs’ wife was a topic I spoke about. I spoke about life and how, when you are in the moment, in that change room, you don’t realize how wonderful it is or how fortunate you can be sometimes.
“Ultimately, life is too cruel sometimes. So you need to be able to appreciate the moments. The changing rooms were filled with laughter and smiles. It was beautiful, and I will treasure those memories for a very long time.”
On Saturday, he took his daughter Maisie to Welford Road ahead of Tigers’ 56-26 victory over the Bristol Bears. This victory added to Leicester’s Premiership season, as they now sit at the top with 86 points. They also have a semi-final spot.
When asked if his retirement was bittersweet, Tiger replied: “I just wanted to help and make it better. If I made a small percentage of that, I was satisfied. You can’t just sign up for another season if you don’t want to end the season.
“I’m now a big fan and love to watch the boys play. It’s great to see the pride in their faces when they don a Leicester shirt. It brings me joy.