Young England prop Scola signs new Northampton deal

Northampton Saints prop Oliver Scola has signed a new contract with the Prem club.

The England Under-20s loose-head prop has been with Saints since he was 14, coming through the academy at Franklin's Gardens.

He made his Northampton debut in the Prem Rugby Cup against Harlequins in November before playing his first league game in the win at Bath at the end of December.

The 20-year-old has played six times for the senior side to date.

Scola is currently away with England preparing for their final game in this year's Under-20 Six Nations championship against France in La Rochelle on Sunday.

"The maturity and growth Oli has shown over the last 12 months has been really pleasing," Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson told the club website, external.

"You can see that reflected in his progress with England Under‑20s. This year he's starting games and playing big minutes, whereas last season he was coming on for shorter spells - and that's a strong indicator of how far he's come.

"There's still plenty of his game to develop but he's incredibly strong and has a very high ceiling."

The length of Scola's new deal has not been disclosed.