TIGHTHEAD prop Nick Schonert has handed Worcester Warriors a boost by signing a contract extension to continue his five-year spell with the Sixways side.
Despite speculation linking the 28-year-old with a move down the M5 to Gloucester, Schonert revealed he was keen to extend his stay and help Warriors chief Alan Solomons achieve his goal of making the Sixways side a sustainable top six club.
Schonert joined Warriors from Pro-14 side Cheetahs in the summer of 2014 and has become one of the top tighthead props in the Gallagher Premiership and a feature in England training squads.
Speaking yesterday (Tuesday) after his extension was revealed, Schonert said he wanted to stay beyond the end of the season when his current deal expires because of his trust in ‘Solly’.
“Trust can be a hard thing to find in sport especially when it comes to coaches and players, but I have full trust in Solly and I have signed for that reason,” he said.
“I have been here for six years and I owe a lot to the club. The club has made me into the player I am but I don’t think over that period we have given the fans what they deserve.
“I would like to look back in 30 years and say I practised what I preach and I helped to give the fans a top six club.
“Life in Worcester has always been very good. My parents have just moved over and there are a lot of good reasons to stay. I am really happy a lot of the other guys are re-signing.
“This is the first time since I have been here that a lot of the established players are staying. They are all buying into what we are doing,” he said.
Although Schonert missed most of the first two months of the season having sustained a medial knee ligament injury in the Premiership Rugby Cup match at Bath in September, he returned to action as a replacement in the European Challenge Cup match in Castres and started in last weekend’s 20-13 Gallagher Premiership win over Sale Sharks.
“He is one of the leading tightheads in the Premiership and a huge asset to the team. He is the consummate professional and has a tremendous work ethic,” Solomons said.
Warriors host Dragons in the first European Challenge Cup encounter of the season at Sixways on Saturday.
Solomons’ side won all three home games in last year’s competition to make it through to the quarter-finals and the game will see a return to Worcester for former boss Dean Ryan and back-row forward and loosehead prop Jack Cosgrove.
Scrum-half Luke Baldwin, who joined Dragons on a season-long loan from Warriors, could also feature for the Newport-based side.