Wales forward Taine Basham signs new Dragons contract

The 24-year-old from Talywain had been linked with English champions Saracens, which would have meant putting his Test career on hold, and the Scarlets.

Basham was made other offers but turned them down in favour of following Wales teammates Aaron Wainwright and Rio Dyer by signing a contract extension with the Dragons.

The club have not revealed the length of the deal after they used the term “multi-year” for Wainwright and Dyer, which the Argus understands are two-year contracts.

With money tight, there has been an emphasis on incentivising agreements when it comes to Dragons re-signings.

If 17-times capped Basham gets back to the form that saw him stand out on the Test stage in the autumn of 2021 then he will ensure future contract offers, both from the Dragons and other clubs, are more lucrative.

STAYING: Dragons forward Taine Basham has signed a new deal (Image: Huw Evans Agency)

“I’m really happy to sign a new contract with my home club,” said Basham. “As a Gwent boy, it means a great deal to me every time I pull on the jersey.

“I look forward with excitement to playing more for the Dragons, and hopefully a reaching a century of appearances for the club.

“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.”

The dynamic back rower, who can play at number eight or openside, made his professional debut against the Scarlets in January 2018.

He has played 89 times for the Dragons and scored 15 tries – nine of them in a remarkable 2019/20 campaign that featured a hat-trick against Castres.

It has been a frustrating season for Basham after he was a fringe figure at the World Cup and Six Nations either side of a red card and, by his standards, poor club form.

However, he has been showing signs of getting back to his game-changing best in recent games and will now target a big run-in to the United Rugby Championship to earn a selection for Wales’ summer tour.

STARS: Rio Dyer, Taine Basham, Elliot Dee and Aaron Wainwright will all be at the Dragons next season (Image: Huw Evans Agency)

The Dragons prioritised deals with Wainwright and Dyer but an agreement with Basham took longer to thrash out.

Head coach Dai Flanagan: “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.

“Now his future is resolved, we look forward to Taine finishing this season strongly and building on his successful career with us.”

Basham featured three times off the bench at the World Cup and his only appearance in the Six Nations was a cameo against England at Twickenham.

He will aim to push for action in the summer Test against South Africa in London then tour to Australia that features two fixtures against the Wallabies and a game against Queensland Reds.