Cape Town - The
Crusaders have locked away three players with Mitchell Hunt, George
Bridge and Mitchell Drummond re-signing with the Christchurch-based
outfit.
Flyhalf Hunt and centre Bridge have signed on until 2019, while scrumhalf Drummond has signed until 2020.
With Hunt and Bridge both aged 22 and Drummond a year older, Crusaders head coach Scott Robertson feels they possess plenty of upside.
"We have an incredible group of young players in this squad who have stepped up and impressed with their talent this year," he said.
"These three players are a shining example of that. We are thrilled to have re-signed them all," Robertson said.
Hunt and Drummond both hail from the Tasman region and played together in the Nelson College First XV, while Drummond and Bridge both play for the High School Old Boys club in Christchurch.
The three of them live together in Drummond's house and say their friendship played a factor in re-signing for the team.
"We all know how incredibly lucky we are to be able to play rugby with our good friends for a living," said Bridge, who has scored eight tries in 14 games this season.
"Not many people get to make a career by playing the sport they love with their best mates, and none of us takes that for granted, so getting the opportunity to sign up to continue doing that for a couple more years was a bit of a no-brainer really.
Drummond has provided a steady hand at scrumhalf alongside Bryn Hall, while Hunt has played matchwinner with a stunning 43 metre drop goal against the Highlanders, and a last-gasp penalty against the Reds.