England hooker George signs 4 year deal

Jamie George has signed a long-term contract extension with double European champions Saracens.

The England international played a key role in Sarries' back-to-back European Champions Cup triumphs and three Premiership title successes.

British and Irish Lions hooker George, who came through the London club's academy, has been rewarded with a new deal that will keep him with Sarries until 2021, four days after scoring a hat-trick against Wasps.

George said: "It's the club that I've grown up playing for, the club I've grown up supporting my whole life. To be signing here for the long term and to have played here for a long time already is a huge honour.

"We are all getting closer and closer and that is a huge reason why I wanted to sign; that and being a part of something special that is happening here.

"You want to be playing with guys like that. I think the club is in a really good place at the minute."

Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall added: "We're over the moon to secure Jamie's long-term future. He is fast becoming a world class player in his position, and is a key figure for both club and country. 

"Jamie is a real example for our younger players to follow. It's well documented how patient he had to be earlier on in his career and both Jamie and Saracens have reaped the rewards from that."

George, striving to dislodge captain Dylan Hartley in the England starting line-up, has been at Sarries since the age of 14 and made 177 senior appearances since making his debut in 2009.

News of George's new deal comes soon after it was announced that Owen Farrell had signed a five-year contract extension with the Premiership leaders.