Wednesday 16 September 2015 14:32, UK
Ben Youngs admits winning his 50th England cap in a World Cup opener on home soil will be an "extra special" occasion.
Youngs will reach a half century of international appearances against Fiji at Twickenham on Friday in an England line-up which will also feature his older brother and Leicester Tigers team-mate Tom.
While the 26-year-old says he will relish the occasion, Youngs' immediate priority will be to help England start off their World Cup campaign in style.
"I'm obviously very pleased to achieve that," Youngs said. "It's a wonderful honour to wear the jersey any time but to win my 50th cap in the opening game of the World Cup makes it extra special, so I'm very honoured and proud.
"Once my career is over, I will probably look at it and really understand what it is all about and what an achievement it is, but for sure it's a nice little milestone.
"It's a great honour but at the same time the focus is on Fiji, it's not about anything else. It will be nice but it will all be over in a flash so it's just about going out there and making sure we perform against Fiji."
It's a wonderful honour to wear the jersey any time but to win my 50th cap in the opening game of the World Cup makes it extra special.
Youngs made his England debut against Scotland five-and-a-half years ago and has seen off competition from a number of players to keep hold of the coveted number nine jersey.
Lee Dickson and fellow World Cup squad members Danny Care and Richard Wigglesworth are among those who have tried to oust him from the team and Youngs says they have helped him raise his game.
"Without a doubt, competition brings out the best in every player," Youngs said.
"We've had our fair share of battles and when I think about it, the thing I'm probably most proud of is to get to 50 whilst trying to compete with some really top players.
"I've managed to do it in an environment where there have been a lot of other guys who could have played week-in, week-out."
