Exeter Chiefs trio commit futures to Premiership club

Exeter have announced that England internationals Jack Nowell, Henry Slade and Luke Cowan-Dickie have signed new contracts at the club.

The Chiefs announced two-year deals for the trio, meaning they will remain at Sandy Park until at least the end of the 2020-21 season.

The trio are all products of Exeter's academy system, and were named three days ago in Eddie Jones' England Six Nations squad.

Wing Nowell, a British and Irish Lion on the 2017 tour of New Zealand, has won 29 caps, while centre Slade has 17 and hooker Cowan-Dickie seven.

And they are all likely to be involved in England's match-day 23 for the Guinness Six Nations opener against Ireland in Dublin on February 2.

Chiefs rugby director Rob Baxter told the club website: "I know people have been waiting to hear the news on these three guys for quite a while.

"However, the truth is the talk on their (contract) extensions started pretty early and they have gone quite simply.

"I know sometimes it must seem a little difficult when there is a lot of paper talk about players leaving, or interest being shown in them.

"But all three guys said right from the beginning that their intentions were to stay at Exeter and that they wanted to stay with us long-term.

"All it really came down to is just finding that right balance in that they feel appreciated here, and we feel that they are right value for us.

"To be fair, that was relatively simple, so we are delighted to keep them and we are hoping they can be a core element of what the team can go on to achieve over the next five or six years."