Gloucester Rugby
Charlie Sharples and Tom Savage sign new Gloucester deals
ESPN Staff
July 29, 2015
Charlie Sharples of Gloucester runs with the ball
Charlie Sharples of Gloucester runs with the ball© Paul Thomas/Getty Images

Gloucester Rugby have confirmed both Charlie Sharples and Tom Savage have signed new long-term contracts at the Aviva Premiership club.

Former England wing Sharples and Savage have become first-team regulars at the Kingsholm Stadium, having only ever played club rugby for Gloucester. Each made over 30 competitive starts for the club last season and expressed delight in extending their stay.

Sharples, who has made over 170 competitive appearances for Gloucester since making his debut in the 2007/08 season, told the club's official website: "I'm incredibly happy to have signed a new contract. I've been with Gloucester my whole career and didn't have any intention of looking elsewhere.

"Players often say that it's a relief to get things sorted early when it's a contract year and that's absolutely true. It's a real boost to know that the club wanted to get it all done and dusted, and I can focus 100 percent on the rugby now without worrying about anything else.

"Gloucester is a good place to be at the moment. It's a settled group, players and coaches alike, and we're really looking forward to building on the foundations we put in place last season."

Savage, who captained Gloucester in the 2013/14 season, is closing in on a landmark 100th appearance for the club.

He added: "To have everything agreed so early is massive for me. I've loved every minute of my time at Gloucester, to have my future sorted so early is great and I'm grateful to the club for making this happen.

"I think this squad has so much potential. We showed glimpses of it last season, especially in Europe when we won the Challenge Cup, but we all recognise that we need to be more consistent.

"We're a settled group coming into this season, and we've so much talent in the squad. It's an exciting time and I'm really fired up about playing my part this season and seeing what we can achieve in the future."

Gloucester Director of Rugby David Humphreys was pleased to finalise both deals, but admitted he was keen to further improve his squad.

"We've had a really good start to pre-season and securing the long term future of Charlie and Tom is a huge boost to our goal of building a talented and competitive squad to challenge in both the Aviva Premiership and Europe," Humphreys said.

"To achieve this we will need to continue to recruit and add players to the squad but more importantly, we want to retain those players who have delivered for Gloucester over the past few seasons. Charlie and Tom play key roles, both on and off the pitch, and I'm delighted they have committed to Gloucester as we prepare for the start of an important season."

© ESPN Staff

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