Tuesday 5 December 2017 16:38, UK
England lock Joe Launchbury has signed a contract extension with Aviva Premiership club Wasps.
Club captain Launchbury becomes the second member of England's senior squad to commit his future to the Ricoh Arena club, following on from winger Elliot Daly.
Wasps director of rugby Dai Young said he was delighted to keep Launchbury on board, especially given the amount of interest from other clubs in his services.
Young said: "We know a number of sides would have been keen for Joe to join them and it is a mark of his loyalty and belief in the squad we are assembling that he has put pen to paper to sign on again with Wasps.
"Joe has been with us for a long time and has stuck through the tougher times here.
"He has also experienced more recent times when we've been much more competitive and hopefully he can be around when we go the next step and achieve some silverware, which he deserves.
"During the time Joe has been with us, he's developed from a club player into an international player and I believe he is now a world-class second row in his own right.
"He has grown with the added responsibility of the captaincy and he's a really big part of everything we are about.
"'Launchers' will undoubtedly play an even bigger role in the next stage of our development, as we aim to continue competing at the top and try to get our hands on something over the next couple of seasons.
"It's a well-known cliche that when you need people the stronger get stronger, and he certainly stood up when things weren't going well at the beginning of the season.
"Joe didn't panic and provided a real example of what's needed not only to be a world-class player but also a world-class leader. We are really lucky to have him on board."
