Hurricanes keep former Waratah Lousi

The Hurricanes hope Sam Lousi continues to make strides in Super Rugby after extending the contract of the former Waratahs lock.

The towering 26-year-old has added a year to his stay, taking him until the end of 2019.

A first-choice member of the pack this year, Lousi has come a long way since crossing the Tasman in 2017, assistant coach John Plumtree says.

"We've already seen just how much improvement he has made during his time with the Hurricanes and we think he will actually continue to get better," he said.

Lousi made sporadic appearances for the Wallabies in 2015-16.

Before that, he had three seasons at the Warriors, making three NRL first-grade appearances during an injury-plagued stint.