Loyal Chesney rewarded with new deal

The popular forward put pen to paper on a new two-year deal this week and he will take his place in the back-row for the match with Gloucester at Vicarage Road.

"As a team this season, things are going pretty well for us," said Chesney, who has racked up nearly 300 appearances in over a decade of service with the Men in Black.

"Apart from the odd result where we should have done better, we've hit some good form and the defence and attack has been working well. The forwards have been able to build a good platform and the backs have been taking advantage."

Chesney was close to moving to Harlequins a couple of seasons ago but he had no hesitation in extending his stay at the club and he looks set to see out his career at Vicarage Road.

"This is the easiest decision I've ever had to make," he said. "I've been at Saracens for 12 years now and I'm really happy here. I've made friends both on and off the pitch and it was always going to be the case that if Saracens wanted me, I would sign because I love the place."

Director of Rugby Alan Gaffney was delighted to secure the services of a player whose personality and versatility are so crucial to the make-up of the squad.

"We're delighted that Kris has agreed to remain with us for another two seasons," said Gaffney. "He's a Saracens stalwart who is very popular both with the players and supporters alike and the fact that in recent seasons he has been able to consistently perform in either the back row or second row, it has made him a valuable member of the squad."

Added Chesney: "The squad we have is awesome at the minute. We've got a number of different players for each position and competition is really fierce. It's hard to get in the side and I've been fortunate enough to be involved in the majority of games this season. The coaching staff also has to take a lot of the credit and it's also helped that we've had a consistent squad this season."