Following a man-of-the-match performance in his Guinness PRO14 debut, Owen Lane has put pen to paper on his first senior Cardiff Blues contract.
The Wales Under-20 and Sevens star scored a try during the 36-30 win over Connacht last Friday and received widespread plaudits for his all-round performance at the Arms Park.
And he has now become the latest player to commit his future to Cardiff Blues, signing a long-term deal with his home region.
Lane, 19, said: “I’m thrilled to sign a senior contract with Cardiff Blues. I have grown up in Cardiff and always wanted to play for the Blues. Starting against Connacht last weekend was a dream come true.
“This is my home region and I have come up through the age-grades here, so to get to this point is brilliant but I am determined to make the most of the opportunity.
“We have a really promising group of young players coming through, to compliment the experience in the squad, so I am really excited about the future.
“Just seeing what the likes of Seb Davies, Dillon Lewis and Rhun Williams have achieved since breaking through shows how quickly things can progress and adds to the motivation.”
Lane follows in the footsteps of fellow academy products Rhun Williams and Corey Domachowski in signing a senior contract in recent weeks.
He is the sixth player to sign a new deal so far this season and Cardiff Blues head of transition Richard Hodges is pleased with the progress being made.
Hodges added: “It is really pleasing to see yet another home grown player make the step up from our regional pathway.
“Owen is a player who has stood out through all of our age-grades, with Wales Under-18s and he was a key player both on and off the pitch for Wales Under-20s in the summer.
“He really benefited from playing on the sevens circuit and that has helped him kick on with Cardiff RFC and when he’s had opportunities with the Blues.
“Not only is he a very quick and powerful player but he is very quick learner and I’m sure he will continue to progress within our environment.”
Cardiff Blues are back in action at the Arms Park in the European Challenge Cup action on Sunday, December 17 as they take on Sale Sharks. Tickets are still available at Early Bird prices!