By David Hunter
Paddy Jackson has signed a two year contract extension at Ulster Rugby.
He'll stay at Kingspan until at least the summer of 2019.
The 25 year old made his debut for the team in 2011 and has made 13 appearances for the province this season.
The fly half has also been heavily involved in international duty and started the opening two games for Ireland in this season's six nations.
"I'm delighted to be staying on at Ulster Rugby for at least another two years. It is such a proud moment for myself and my family." said Paddy.
"Every time I pull on the Ulster jersey it is something that I don't want to take for granted and I hope to continue to grow as a player and contribute to this team in a positive way.
"I believe that the pillars for success are in place here at Ulster with a quality squad and management team. I am hugely excited by the challenges that lie ahead and I'd like to thank everyone who has helped me to this point in my career.”
Director of Rugby, Les Kiss, said "To have Paddy commit to Ulster for a further two seasons is a huge boost. He progressed through the Academy structures here and has grown into a fantastic player and leader, who commands the respect of the entire squad.
"He is the type of player that we can build the team around and it's important that we have home-grown talent at the forefront of what we're trying to achieve here. His ability and leadership will be critical for us in the future.
"Paddy's form over the past few years has been widely acknowledged and it was no surprise that there was a lot of interest in him from other big European clubs.