Henry agrees Ulster extension

Chris Henry has agreed a new two-year contract which will keep him at Kingspan Stadium until June 2019.

Henry has made 155 appearances for Ulster since making his debut in a European Cup match against Harlequins in January 2009 and in his eight years with the province he has scored ten tries.

At international level, the 32-year-old has represented Ireland on 24 occasions, making his debut against Australia in 2010.

"Les (Kiss) is determined to build a successful future for Ulster Rugby and I want to be part of that vision. I believe that the squad depth is improving year-on-year, with Bryn's (Cunningham) ongoing retention and recruitment of players leaving us in a strong position over the next few seasons," Henry said of his new deal.

"We have a core group of experienced players and have a developing pathway of talented youngsters coming through. I want to deliver on the pitch for Ulster but I also want to ensure that I'm assisting the Academy players, who have aspirations to play professional rugby.

"The Ulster supporters are first class and there is no better feeling than playing in front of a packed house at Kingspan Stadium. I feel lucky to be part of a great environment and I'm delighted to commit my future to Ulster.

Ulster's Director of Rugby, Les Kiss added: "Chris has been a key player for Ulster Rugby for a number of years and he represents everything that is good about the organisation. His integrity, commitment, passion and good humour are contagious qualities that make him a fantastic person to have within our squad.

"He has been unfortunate with injuries and illness over the past couple of seasons but he has worked extremely hard to get back onto the pitch and I've no doubt that he'll be a massive asset for us over the next couple of seasons.

"The player market is becoming increasingly competitive as a result of big budgets in France and England, but I'm delighted, as I'm sure the supporters will be, that we've been able to retain Chris until at least the summer of 2019."

eir Sport channels are available across the eir Vision, Sky and Vodafone TV platforms as well as on the eir Sport app. All 6 channels in the eir Sport pack are available for free if you are a residential eir broadband customer.