Launchbury signs new deal with Wasps

Wasps have announced that England international and Club captain Joe Launchbury has signed a new contract to remain at Ricoh Arena.

Launchbury, who has spent ten seasons with Wasps and played 142 times in the Black and Gold, has committed himself to the Club.

Club captain since 2016, the powerful lock has now amassed over 60 appearances for his country and was part of England’s recent 2019 Rugby World Cup squad that reached the final in Japan.

Born in Devon, Launchbury joined the Wasps Senior Academy in 2009 and soon made his Premiership debut as a teenager in 2011. After attaining England Under 20 honours that year, he was later called up to the senior squad in 2012/13 – a year which saw him named as the Premiership’s Young Player of the Year.

He later featured at the 2015 Rugby World Cup before playing in summer tours to New Zealand, Argentina and Australia, and being part of a 2016 Grand Slam win.

The 28-year-old Wasps talisman passed the 100-appearance mark for the Club during the 2016/17 season, a year in which Wasps reached the Premiership final, and he was named alongside three teammates in the Dream Team at the end of the campaign.

Wasps Director of Rugby Dai Young said: “Launchers has been a tremendous servant to the Club and we’re thrilled he’s agreed to sign a new deal.

“He is a born leader, who adds a lot to this team and having someone of his ilk pledging their future to the Club is a real statement of intent.”

Launchbury said: “Wasps have been great to me and I will forever have an association with the Club.

“There have been some special moments during the past ten years and I want to create more of those over the coming seasons.

“We have a good young squad, and I think we’re now starting to see young players coming through the system which a crucial cog in any elite club.

“With a fantastic home ground at Ricoh Arena and our own high-performance training base being built, the future certainly looks very bright.

“Hopefully as a club we keep developing and growing more and more Premiership-class players, and compete for silverware moving forward.”

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