Marcelo Bosch resists pull of a return home to Argentina and signs extension at Saracens

The centre believes he has rediscovered the best of himself since joining the club in the autumn of 2013 and is looking to build on his success

Marcelo Bosch is the third Saracens player in three days to commit to the London club (Getty)

Marcelo Bosch, the Argentine centre who booted Saracens into this weekend's European Champions Cup semi-final with Clermont Auvergne with one of his speciality long-range bazooka kicks in the closing seconds of the last-eight tie against Racing Métro in Paris a dozen days ago, is likely to end his career at the club after agreeing a contract extension. He joins two of England’s new-generation locks, George Kruis and Maro Itoje, in signing on for another tour of duty in north London.

Saracens could easily have lost the 31-year-old midfielder to a spell in southern hemisphere union: the game in the land of the Pumas is beginning to professionalise itself after years of clinging to the remnants of amateurism and there will be an Argentine team in next year’s Super Rugby competition. Only this week, Cardiff Blues confirmed that their utility back Joaquin Tuculet was leaving the Arms Park after six short months to join the new big-time team in Buenos Aires.

But Bosch says he has rediscovered the best of himself since joining Saracens from the French club Biarritz in the autumn of 2013 and is looking to build on his success – something that will come as a relief to the Premiership club, whose inability to field a settled midfield has proved one of their principal problems this season.

“He’s worked incredibly hard since arriving here – his hunger and determination to improve is second to none,” said Mark McCall, the Saracens rugby director, after completing a third significant piece of contract business in as many days. “Marcelo has made huge progress and is constantly looking to get better.”

The European semi-final jamboree begins this evening at Murrayfield, where Edinburgh meet Newport Gwent Dragons in a second-tier Challenge Cup tie. The home team have a southern hemisphere spine running through them – Alan Solomons, one of the Springbok nation’s more experienced coaches, has selected fellow South Africans in Andries Strauss at centre and W P Nel at tight-head prop, along with the Namibian lock Anton Bresler and the New Zealand import Mike Coman at No 8 – but there will also be a number of Scotland internationals on view, including the wings Dougie Fife and Tim Visser, the bright young scrum-half Sam Hidalgo-Clyne and a couple of gnarled front-rowers in Alasdair Dickinson and Ross Ford.

Meanwhile, the Dragons’ resourceful boss Lyn Jones has handed a starting berth to the Wales and Lions Test No 8 Toby Faletau. The Tongan-born forward has not always been the most productive member of the squad at Rodney Parade – indeed, he has grown uncomfortably familiar with the replacements’ bench this season – but his recent form has been seriously hot and he has the potential to turn over enough possession to give an exciting set of backs the freedom of the Scottish capital.

Across the Irish Sea, there was a depressing development on the injury front, with Ulster’s international prop Declan Fitzpatrick announcing his retirement at 31 – no great age for a front-rower. Fitzpatrick had experienced “a number of concussive episodes in recent seasons”, according to the club, and decided to pack it in after taking specialist advice.

“I want to thank the medical teams at Ulster and the Irish Rugby Football Union for the care they have given me,” said the player, who won seven caps for his country, the last of them against the world champion All Blacks in 2013. “While it was not an easy decision to hang up the boots, my symptoms continue to improve and I know the advice I’ve received is in the best interests of my long-term health.”