Thursday 2 March 2017 09:50, UK
Paddy Jackson has signed a new contract with Ulster which ties him to the province until the summer of 2019.
Jackson, predominately a fly-half, has been with Ulster since 2011 and has become one of their key players, while also making the step up to the senior Ireland side.
He had been linked with a move to the Aviva Premiership, with a number of clubs reported to have made approaches to sign him.
The 25-year-old has won 22 international caps, scoring 169 points, and he started the first two games of Ireland's Six Nations campaign while Johnny Sexton was recovering from injury.
He has played 118 games for Ulster since his debut against the Scarlets, amassing 831 points.
Jackson told Ulster's website: "I'm delighted to be staying on at Ulster Rugby for at least another two years. It is such a proud moment for myself and my family.
"Every time I pull on the Ulster jersey it is something that I don't want to take for granted and I hope to continue to grow as a player and contribute to this team in a positive way.
"I believe that the pillars for success are in place here at Ulster with a quality squad and management team. I am hugely excited by the challenges that lie ahead and I'd like to thank everyone who has helped me to this point in my career."
Coach Les Kiss added: "He is the type of player that we can build the team around and it's important that we have home-grown talent at the forefront of what we're trying to achieve here. His ability and leadership will be critical for us in the future.
"Paddy's form over the past few years has been widely acknowledged and it was no surprise that there was a lot of interest in him from other big European clubs."
