Fly-half: George Ford (18y 171d)
Leicester Tigers (vs Exeter Chiefs, 3 Sep 2011)
He became the youngest Rugby Union player to make his professional debut in England at just 16 years and 237 days old when Leicester played Leeds in the LV= Cup. His Premiership debut didn’t come until later.
Ford has since developed into a fine fly-half, winning 47 caps for England thus far. The 24-year-old did leave Tigers for a while to join his father, Mike at Bath but returned to Welford Road in the summer of 2018.
Scrum-half: Ben Youngs(18y 39d)
Leicester Tigers (vs Saracens, 14 Oct 2007)
Son of former scrum-half Nick and brother to Tom, Leicester Tigers is in the blood of the scrum-half.
An academy graduate, he became the club’s youngest-ever league player when he ran out for his debut in a match at Bristol in April 2007 and came off the bench in 2006/07 Premiership Final win over Gloucester still aged 17. His first start came soon after his 18th birthday.
He’s since represented a British & Irish Lion in Australia in 2013 and has established himself as England’s first choice scrum-half ahead of countryman Danny Care.
Prop: David Flatman (18y 326d)
Saracens (vs London Irish, 13 Dec 1998)
His senior club rugby began with Saracens in 1998. Flatman joined Bath in 2003 and went on to make over 160 appearances for the club before calling it a day due to injury in 2012. The prop, who won eight England caps, remained at the Rec, taking up a backroom role before leaving to pursue a career in the media.
Hooker: Matt Thompson (19y 74d)
Newcastle Falcons (vs Bristol, 24 Feb 2002)
He enjoyed a 14-year career at the pinnacle of English rugby with Newcastle Falcons playing more than 200 times alongside a host of superstars like Jonny Wilkinson.
Now at the age of 35 Thompson is to begin a new career in the hard-knocks game of professional boxing.
He has since quit playing for Blaydon though he will remain their director of rugby while competing in the roped square.
Prop: Jack Forster (19y 6d)
Gloucester (vs Bristol, 25 Mar 2006)
Forster began his career at the Sharks academy but joined Gloucester in 2005, and was tipped for international honours during his four years at Kingsholm. The Wigan-born front-row forward then returned to the north-west to join Sale Sharks on a two-year deal in 2009. However, an injury-ravaged career was cut short with the tighthead hanging up his boots aged 24 due to a serious neck injury.