Having made his England debut in the 2008 RBS 6 Nations and toured to New Zealand that summer, Narraway, who has represented his country at under-18, under-21 and Saxons level, has been overtaken by the likes of James Haskell, Lewis Moody, Nick Easter, Tom Croft and Steffon Armitage.

Narraway, who will now stay with Gloucester until June 2012, attended Gloucester's academy straight from Kings School in Worcester and has made more than 100 appearances for the club since his debut away at Leeds in 2003.

"We're very pleased that Luke has committed to Gloucester as, on his day, he is one of the best number eights in the game,” said Redpath.

"Luke's played all his rugby here and understands what it takes to be a Gloucester player. His challenge now is to continue to develop his game and deliver consistency so he can achieve his club and international ambitions, and we'll work hard to help him achieve this."

Narraway himself admitted that interest from elsewhere was flattering but that it wasn't a difficult decision to commit to Gloucester.

"The spirit in the squad is probably the best I've known since I've been at Gloucester, and the results over the last few weeks show that we're moving in the right direction," he said.

"Gloucester is a special place to play rugby - the stadium, the supporters, training facilities and off-field set-up; it's the whole package."