Recent Ireland skipper Henderson signs IRFU contract extension keeping him at Ulster

Ireland second row Iain Henderson has signed a two-year extension to his IRFU contract keeping him at Ulster until 2023. The 29-year-old, who captained Ireland for the first time against France in this year’s Guinness Six Nations, made his international debut against South Africa in November 2012 and has won 60 caps to date for his country.

A Lions tourist in 2017, Henderson succeeded Rory Best as Ulster captain in 2019 and has represented his native province on 116 occasions.

Henderson said: "It has been a great honour to captain both Ulster and Ireland in recent times. Irish rugby is in a good place despite the disruption the sport has experienced during the pandemic. 

"As professionals, we have been in a privileged position to be able to continue playing and I know we all hope to see supporters back in the Aviva and Kingspan in the near future."

IRFU performance director David Nucifora added: "Over the past few seasons Iain has really developed into a leader within both the Ireland and Ulster squads. He is part of the national leadership group, captaining Ireland recently for the first time and we are delighted to have ensured that he continues his career in Ireland."