Ben Youngs returns to the world stage on Sunday for the first time since withdrawing from the British Lions tour to support his family in their hour of need.
Two years have passed since the England scrum-half quietly informed Lions boss Warren Gatland that he could not go to New Zealand as his brother Tom’s wife was seriously ill.
Two years in which sister-in-law Tiff has mercifully made a remarkable recovery from a terminal diagnosis and Ben has worked his socks off to get another tilt at a global showpiece.
Finally it arrives this weekend, in the capital of the mountainous northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, where England open their World Cup campaign against Tonga.
Ben will win his 90th cap, moving to within one of joining Jonny Wilkinson as England’s most-capped back.
And he will do so with an outpouring of love and support from family and friends back home who appreciate how much he deserves this opportunity.
Leicester captain Tom said: “When Ben made that call to the Lions he didn’t even tell me what he was doing.
“When I found out he simply said ‘Don’t tell me off, I want to support you and spend time with Tiff and the family. That’s far more important than rugby. My personal ambition isn’t important or relevant right now’.
“It takes a special type of person to do something like that, but that’s my brother. I do get annoyed when people call him selfish or arrogant - he’s far from that.
“The Lions have gone but thank god he gets another opportunity to go away and perform on a big stage. We will be cheering him all the way.”
As one of only two scrum-halves selected by Eddie Jones the 30-year-old will, barring injury, feature in every England game, at what is his third World Cup.
Ironically, his self-imposed summer off in 2017 allowed him to rest his body before putting in a full pre-season, which has helped him arrive in Japan in tip top shape.
“I've never seen him in better physical condition," Jones agreed. "He knows this is probably his last chance to do well at a World Cup and his preparation has been absolutely outstanding. Expect him to have a really good tournament."
ENGLAND’S MOST-CAPPED PLAYERS
114 Jason Leonard
97 Dylan Hartley
91 Jonny Wilkinson
89 Ben Youngs
89 Dan Cole
