Stalwart Jackson Wray the latest to commit to Saracens
Saracens' Jackson Wray during the Gallagher Premiership match at Allianz Park, London.
Back-row Jackson Wray, who has spent his entire professional career at Saracens, has become the latest player to pledge his future to the club.
Saracens will drop from the Premiership into the Championship when the current season ends following their relegation for salary cap breaches.
Wray’s fellow back-row forward Billy Vunipola last week announced his intention to remain with Saracens, and 29-year-old Wray has now followed suit.
“My family are happy, my kids are happy, and I just love what the place is about,” Wray said. “The people are what make the club special.
“I go to work every day enjoying what I’m doing, testing myself, always feeling like what I do is appreciated, and when I’m not doing things well how we go about it.
“The environment and how the lads enjoy time together is great. People say about it being a family, and we actually are.
“I spend so much time with the lads at the club and away from it, too, that it is an absolute no-brainer for me to stay. It’s just a great place to be.”
🗣️ "It’s an opportunity to again look after myself and my body but also help the team with performances." #GallagherPrem #ChampRugby
⚫️🔴 ‘Championship stint could refresh us’ – Billy Vunipola. 👉 https://t.co/JflUcTEFsu pic.twitter.com/tfW26bFY1q
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) March 28, 2020
Despite the frustration of seeing the team relegated, Wray believes that playing in England’s second-tier will aid him physically after a decade of playing at the top level of the club game.
“Obviously it was disappointing when the news broke,” he added.“Right now, I’m over it with all that is going on now. I’m just looking forward to kicking on next year physically and maybe help the body by not playing 30-odd games a season!
“It’ll give my body a bit of a breather and I’m looking forward to it. There will be a lot of opportunities for young guys to have a base and really kick on next year.
“They’ll get a lot of experience of prepping and reviewing week-to-week and will be some of the main guys doing what they need to do and that will be good for a lot of people. I’m excited to see how good they can become and how good they will be from that experience.”