HEDGE End-born Gerard Ellis is celebrating signing a new contract with Premiership rugby outfit London Irish.

The exciting 21-year-old hooker this week penned a two year contract extension that will keep him at the club until at least 2017.

Ellis, who attended Durley Primary School, Wyvern College and Peter Symonds College, has been at Irish since the age of 14 when he first joined the club’s Academy.

Having started playing aged six at Trojans, he later joined Winchester before moving to Wales to further his rugby education at the renowned Llandovery College.

Ellis was one of just two boys from Welsh schools to be named in the Rugby World All Stars Team of the Year for 2011.

Selection for the All Stars Team is considered in rugby circles as a very reliable indicator of the future stars of the game.

Ellis has made brief appearances off the bench in all but one of Exiles’ four Premiership games this season.

He was a late replacement in front of a 21,000 crowd at Leicester’s Welford Road last weekend when Irish, who play their home games at Reading FC’s Madejski Stadium, triumphed.

Director of rugby Brian Smith has high hopes for the academy forward, who will turn 22 later this month.

Smith said: “Gerard can be a big player for the club. He certainly has the talent to play at the next level.

“We have lots of good hookers here, but Gerard is also versatile. He can play in the back row too.”

Ellis, who has also been deployed as a makeshift centre, twice suffered injury setbacks after leaving Llandovery in 2012.

His initial progress was delayed by a broken wrist, then torn cartilage in his knee.

And after fighting his way back to full fitness in the latter half of last season, he spent the summer in Australia, honing his skills with Sydney University.

Ellis said: “I have been at London Irish for a long time and I was more than happy to extend that stay for another two years.

The direction the club is moving in is very promising and the ambition of the owners and the set up at our new Hazelwood training ground made extending my contract a straightforward decision.”

Smith added: “If he continues to work hard I believe he has the ability to be a great player for London Irish and a future Test player.”