Iain Henderson has signed a new contract with Ulster and the IRFU to keep him at his province until the summer of 2023.

Henderson was one of seven centrally contracted players whose deals were set to expire at the end of this season, and the first of that group to sign on the dotted line.

The 29-year-old has agreed a two year deal wholly funded by the IRFU, with confidence a number of further contract announcements are to follow. It follows Johnny Sexton's comments yesterday that he is close to finalising a deal himself, which is believed to be a one-year renewal.

Iain Henderson made his Ireland debut against South Africa in 2012, and has since won 60 caps, most recently against France where he also captained Ireland for the very first time. He was also a part of the 2017 British and Irish Lions Tour to New Zealand.

He took over the captaincy of Ulster following Rory Best's retirement in 2019, and says he's delighted to commit his future to both club and country.

"It has been a great honour to captain both Ulster and Ireland in recent times.  Irish Rugby is in a good place despite the disruption the sport has experienced during the pandemic.

"As professionals we have been in a privileged position to be able to continue playing and I know we all hope to see supporters back in the Aviva and Kingspan in the near future."