Ireland captain Rory Best has revealed his is close to agreeing a contract extension with the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), which will take him through the 2019 World Cup.
Best is currently one of the three senior Irish players, along with Iain Henderson and Rob Kearney, whose IRFU contracts expire at the end of this season.
The 35-year-old Ulster hooker is hopeful an announcement on his future is imminent.
"I think it is at a fairly advanced stage and we'll hopefully have an announcement about that fairly soon," Best said.
"I feel I'm playing pretty well and my stance on it hasn't changed in the last while.
"Due to a few unforeseen circumstances it isn't been as quickly through as we would like but hopefully we would have news on that - good, bad or indifferent - in the future, the very near future."
Best will lead Ireland out against Scotland in their penultimate Six Nations game on Saturday, knowing a bonus-point win will secure the title if England fail to match their exploits against France in Paris.