Aviva Premiership: Bill Meakes and Dan Murphy sign Gloucester contract extensions

Gloucester duo Bill Meakes and Dan Murphy have signed extensions to their contracts to remain at Kingsholm.

Meakes initially joined the club as a non-contracted player a year ago and made his debut as a replacement in the LV= Cup game at home to Wasps before making his first Aviva Premiership appearance against the same opponents at Twickenham.

He did enough to earn an Academy contract for the current season and has been a regular in the first-team squad, scoring his first senior try in the LV= Cup game at Exeter in November.

Loosehead prop Murphy is in his fourth season with Gloucester having moved from London Irish in the summer of 2011.

The 28-year-old has been a first-team regular in his time at the club, making 78 competitive appearances to date, although he is only just returning to fitness after suffering a knee injury in late September.

Good news

Gloucester director of rugby David Humphreys said: "It's very good news that Bill and Dan have signed new contracts. We've been working hard in recent months to build the squad for next season, retaining existing members of the squad and bringing in new faces where required.

"They're both well respected and hard-working members of the squad who can always be relied upon to do a job when called upon.

"The depth of our squad will be all important next season with players away on World Cup duty and then a very intensive domestic and European campaign following that.

"With the pair of them agreeing new deals, we move another step forward in terms of our long-term preparations and continue to build the depth of the squad required to compete at the top of English rugby.”