England forward Coles signs new Northampton deal

Alex Coles has scored two tries in five Prem matches this season and 19 in 139 games in all competitions for Northampton

England lock Alex Coles has signed a new, undisclosed-length, contract to stay with Northampton Saints.

Coles, who has been with Saints since he was 13 and is a product of the club's academy, has gone on to make more than 100 appearances for the first team.

The 26-year-old said signing his new deal was "an easy decision" given Saints had "shown such faith in me".

"Saints brought me in from school, guided me through the academy, and shaped me into the player I am today," Coles said.

"I don't see any reason to play my rugby anywhere else."

Coles, who made his Saints debut against Wasps in 2018, won his 11th cap for England as a replacement in their 25-7 win over Australia on Saturday.

He said he has a "burning desire" to play in the 2027 World Cup in Australia and playing well for Northampton went "hand-in-hand" with that ambition.

"Colesy clearly has ambitions to become an England regular, and we're delighted his hard work is being recognised at international level," said Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson.

"He wants to be the best and pushes himself physically and technically every day – that's a trait we value highly at Saints. We're thrilled to keep someone of Alex's calibre within our environment."

Coles helped Saints win the Premiership title two seasons ago and scored two tries in the European Champions Cup final last term in Northampton's 28-20 defeat by Bordeaux.