Flanker Olly Cracknell has signed a two-year deal to commit his future to the Ospreys.
He recently made his 100th appearance in an Ospreys jersey against Leinster at the Gnoll.
Cracknell, 25, who made his Ospreys debut in 2015, has scored eight tries and was called into the Wales squad for the 2017 Six Nations.
He played six times for Wales U20’s in 2014 and currently leads the Guinness PRO14 stats for making the most tackles so far this season, with 171 tackles made.
“I am pleased to be committing the next two years to the Ospreys,” said Cracknell.
“My 50th and 100th caps for the Ospreys are two of my proudest moments in rugby, because I know that I have had to work hard to get those games in what has always been a fiercely competitive back row, that currently has British Lions and an Olympian.”
Cracknell is the latest player to re-sign with the Ospreys, along with fellow backrowers Dan Lydiate and Sam Cross, centre Owen Watkin, locks Bradley Davies and Adam Beard, wing Keelan Giles, fly half Cai Evans and props Ma’afu Fia, Tom Botha and Rhodri Jones in recent weeks.
The Ospreys recently announced the appointment of Toby Booth as Head Coach for next season, along with captain Justin Tipuric’s re-signing with his home region.
Full back Mat Protheroe, prop Nicky Thomas, lock Rhys Davies and scrum half Rhys Webb have all signed for the Ospreys next season.
The Leeds-born Cracknell first signed for the Ospreys in 2014 after playing stints in South Africa and with RGC in Colwyn Bay.
Cracknell is renowned for his work ethic and commitment to the Ospreys cause on and off the field and has already set his sights on winning trophies and titles with the Ospreys.
“It has always been an aspiration of mine to win silverware with the team,” said Cracknell.
“I look forward to spending the next two seasons helping the Ospreys work towards getting back into the play offs in the PRO14 and competing in our European competition."
Dan Griffiths, Ospreys Rugby General Manager, underlined Cracknell’s work-ethic and his importance to the side in the coming years.
“Olly ticks all the boxes for a modern blindside flanker - he is tough, durable and thrives on hard graft,” said Griffiths.
“Since his arrival at the club in 2014, Olly has shown a real desire to learn, compete and test himself physically against the best, and that has been a constant week in week out.
“The consistency of his training and match day numbers display this appetite for work, and these are qualities that make him a great asset to the squad and team mate to play alongside.
“Olly is driven by the desire to improve as an individual and achieve success with the team, and having characters with this mind-set is hugely important in building for a successful future.
“That is something we are all striving for at the Ospreys, and Olly will play an important part in this over the coming seasons.”