Wales prop Tomas Francis has signed a two-year extension at Aviva Premiership side, Exeter Chiefs.
The tighthead prop signed for the Chiefs in 2014 and has become a crucial performer in Rob Baxter’s front-row.
Despite a few injuries over the years, Francis has made 40 appearances in two seasons at Exeter.
However, he is now bracing himself for an exciting fight for the with Australian tighthead Greg Holmes for the number three shirt next campaign.
Exeter head coach Baxter has said that he sees Francis staying at Sandy Park in the long run. He said:
In Tom’s last contract, the club had a clause in there that we could extend the contract if certain terms were met.
We have decided to go with that, and have extended his deal by a further two years beyond the end of the 2016-17 season.
I know he is delighted with that, and we are obviously very pleased that a player who came to us from the Championship and has been with us for a couple of seasons now sees his long-term future with us.
The Chiefs came within a whisker of winning the Premiership for the first time last season, losing to 28-20 to Saracens at Twickenham in the final.
Although, with key players such as Francis, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Jack Nowell all committing their futures at Exeter – who knows, some silverware could be just around the corner.
