Thursday 6 September 2018 15:56, UK
Ireland international John Cooney has signed a three-year contract extension with Ulster that keeps him at the province until 2022.
The 28-year-old scrum-half joined from Connacht last year and impressed in his debut campaign, scoring 226 points in 25 appearances which earned him a place in the PRO14 team of the season.
That form saw him selected for Ireland's June tour of Australia and he won his second cap in the second Test win over the Wallabies.
"I've had an unbelievable time since I moved up here and I'm delighted to commit my long-term future to the club," said Cooney, who kicked all of Ulster's points in their season-opening win over Scarlets last weekend.
"The players, staff and supporters have all welcomed me with open arms and shown me incredible support.
"The character that everyone within the organisation displayed last year, in challenging circumstances, was really impressive and I'm immensely proud to represent Ulster Rugby."
Ulster's operations director Bryn Cunningham added: "His energy and competitiveness, allied to his desire to continually improve, is helping us to drive standards day in, day out, and that is hugely important in terms of us striving for future success.
"We believe that John, like so many of our players, has his best years ahead of him.
"With the age profile of our squad being really exciting for future years, it will be up to players like John to provide us with leadership and experience in the coming seasons."