England hopeful Nathan Hughes signs new Wasps contract

By Paul Vinnell

Image: Nathan Hughes qualifies to play for England at the end of June

England back-row hopeful Nathan Hughes has extended his contract with Wasps.

The Fiji-born powerhouse will qualify for England at the end of June and recently confirmed he will make himself available for Test selection for head coach Eddie Jones' set-up.

The 24-year-old rejected the advances of his native Fiji and sat out the 2015 Rugby World Cup in a bid to complete the three-year residency qualification period to be eligible to represent England.

Wasps have moved quickly to tie down the in-demand Hughes to a new deal, fresh from securing an extended contract for club captain and England flanker James Haskell.

"I'm really excited to have signed a new contract with Wasps as I can see the direction the club is going in," said Hughes.

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Image: Hughes takes on George Ford during the Champions Cup win over Bath

"I really appreciate [director of rugby] Dai Young giving me the opportunity to come here and over the past two years it has been a great club to be part of.

"We have secured our own home and have seen some really exciting players joining Wasps and I really want to be part of the club moving forwards.

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"We know success won't happen overnight and there is a lot of work to do, but long-term we really want to be a squad winning silverware - that has to be the ambition."

Young admitted Wasps had to move quickly to complete new terms for Hughes, with Premiership rivals hovering.

And Young tipped the hard-running flanker to fight hard for an England berth once he qualifies for Test action.

Image: Hughes is action against London Irish last November

"We are thrilled Nathan has committed his future to Wasps: it was a no-brainer offering him a new contract and I'm sure a number of other clubs would have been tracking his progress closely," said Young.

"Nathan has made a huge impact since joining Wasps and the great thing is there is so much more to come from him.

"He is only 24 and is still raw in some aspects of the game, having only made the switch from hockey to rugby at 17.

"Given his growing performances this season, it's no surprise many are talking about him as an international prospect for England when he qualifies over the summer."

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