Ireland lock down Best, Kearney and Henderson for World Cup

Rugby Union - Six Nations Championship - England vs Ireland - Twickenham Stadium, London, Britain - March 17, 2018 Ireland’s Rory Best celebrates with the Six Nations trophy at the end of the match Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers

(Reuters) - Ireland captain Rory Best, fullback Rob Kearney and second row Iain Henderson extended their contracts with the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) on Tuesday in deals that lock the grand slam winning trio down for the 2019 World Cup in Japan.

Ireland sign their key players to central contracts with the national union, allowing them to manage their time at provincial level and fought off interest from French clubs to tie down CJ Stander and Peter O'Mahony until 2021 late last year.