Youngs improves with age

BEN YOUNGS proved to his less experienced England rivals he has plenty more in the tank as he sparked Leicester into life and onto their sixth win in a row in the Premiership this season.

The 32-year-old made Tigers’ only try, feeding Hanro Liebenberg after outstripping the Sale defence.

Youngs will join up with England tomorrow for a training camp in Jersey ahead of the Autumn Nations Series alongside fellow No9s Raffi Quirke, 20, and 23year-old Harry Randall.

But Youngs showed a clean pair of heels to the Sale defence and proved his eagerness to add to his 109 England caps.

And Leicester head coach Steve Borthwick insists the veteran is improving with age as he bids to make a fourth World Cup in 2023.

Borthwick said: ‘There are not too many better around than Ben Youngs and I think he is getting sharper.’ Manu Tuilagi blew an early scoring chance, dropping the ball close to the line five metres out after nine minutes and it was half an hour before Leicester flyhalf George Ford got the board moving.

Then Youngs broke the game open and Ford, who has been left out of the England squad, finished with 14 points.

Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson said: ‘I thought we deserved a point from the effort and intensity we showed. It’s not a fairytale is it, this game?’

Elsewhere, Gloucester’s Lloyd Evans put the boot into Newcastle as he hit the target with all seven kicks to notch 19 points in a 29-20 win at Kingsholm.

Newcastle were on the wrong side of Wayne Barnes’ whistle, conceding 15 penalties in a game they could have won.

‘For the second time this season, we have come a cropper with the referee. That’s our fault, not theirs, and we need to tidy up and try to bat on a level wicket,’ said a disappointed Falcons director of rugby Dean Richards.

The Falcons enjoyed all the possession and all the phase play in the first half, but it was Gloucester who picked up all the penalties and points.

While the visitors were guilty of not converting their territorial advantage into points, Gloucester made the most of their rare forays into Newcastle territory. Prop Val Rapava-Ruskin peeled off the side of an unstoppable rolling mall to claim the first try. Evans kept the scoreline ticking and the points were made safe by Jonny May’s late score.