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In demand Wales flanker Taine Basham commits to Dragons
By Josh Raisey
The Dragons have fought off any competition from the Gallagher Premiership to re-sign Wales flanker Taine Basham.
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RugbyPass’ Neil Fissler reported in February that the 24-year-old was at the centre of a tug-of-war between Premiership champions Saracens and the Dragons with his contract at Rodney Parade ending at the end of the season.
The United Rugby Championship outfit have come out on top though, keeping hold of their academy product.
The lure of representing Wales would have contributed to Basham’s decision. The flanker earned his 17th and most recent cap in the Guinness Six Nations against England, which means a move to the Premiership would have rendered him ineligible to be selected by Warren Gatland as he falls under the 25-cap threshold to play abroad.
Basham has made 89 appearances for the region since making his debut and 2018 and is relishing making his century.
“I’m really happy to sign a new contract with my home club,” Basham said after signing.
“As a Gwent boy, it means a massive amount to me every time I pull on the jersey.
“I now look forward with excitement to playing more for the Dragons, and hopefully a reaching a century of appearances for the club.
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“My thanks go to our fantastic fans for their continued support for me. I can’t wait to get back out on the field at Rodney Parade and finish this final block of the season really strongly.”
Dragons head coach Dai Flanagan added: “We want to keep our best homegrown talent in Gwent, so news that Taine has agreed a new contract will rightly be celebrated by all our supporters.
“Taine joins the likes of Aaron and Rio in agreeing fresh terms and we look forward to continuing to watch important international players make a big impact and be key figures for us.
“It has always meant a huge amount to Taine to play for Dragons, he is passionate about our club, and it has been great to see him show his very best form in recent games.
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“Now his future is resolved, we look forward to Taine finishing this season strongly and building on his successful career with us.”
