Saints announce signing of highly-rated South African No.8
Saints have announced the signing of highly-rated South African No.8 Juarno Augustus.
The 23-year-old will arrive at Franklin’s Gardens in July ahead of the pre-season campaign, having represented Currie Cup side Western Province and the Stormers in Super Rugby since 2017.
At 6ft2in tall and weighing in at 116kg, Augustus is a physical No.8 built for the Gallagher Premiership.
The young battering ram boasts a dynamic and aggressive ball-carrying ability, and has shown a knack for scoring tries in heavy traffic throughout his promising career so far.
Affectionately nicknamed ‘trokkie’ (truck) by his Stormers team-mates, Augustus was also involved in the Springbok Green vs Springbok Gold invitational match last October.
He was named player of the tournament at the 2017 World Rugby Under-20 Championship in Georgia, following an exceptional contribution for South Africa which saw him play 80 minutes and score in all five of the Junior Boks’ matches, finishing with a grand total of seven tries (the most by any player).
And with a Northern Hemisphere switch now on the horizon, Augustus is relishing the prospect of a new challenge in the Premiership with Saints.
“I am really excited to have the opportunity to join a club full of pedigree in Northampton Saints,” Augustus said.
“It is a club known across the world for its history of success in the Premiership and in Europe, and their current squad is clearly filled with talent, so I can’t wait to get to Northampton and get started with the group.”
“Any South African player wants to test themselves in the Northern Hemisphere and develop as a player – and I am no different.
"I’ve also heard great things about Franklin’s Gardens and the club’s dedicated supporters, so I hope I can contribute towards some success and silverware for them.”