Former World Junior Player of the Year Juarno Augustus says he is excited to “sign for such an historic club” after signing a three-year deal with Ulster from the start of next season.
The South African number eight has signed a deal that will see him play his rugby at Ravenhill until the summer of 2028, joining from English side Northampton Saints.
Augustus, 26, burst onto the scene when he finished as the top try scorer at the 2017 World Under-20 Championship for the Junior Springboks, and he earned World Junior Player of the Year honours in the same year.
Despite that, as well as impressing for Currie Cup side Western Province, he would struggle to nail down a starting jersey with the Stormers and could not break into the Springboks set-up.
That led to a switch to Northampton in 2021 where he has been a key part of their success, helping lead them to the Gallagher Premiership title last season and playing 61 games for the club to date.
Augustus will now join an Ulster back row that is showing considerable promise, adding to a talented set of players that includes recent Ireland cap Cormac Izuchukwu, number eight Nick Timoney and current player of the year David McCann.
“I’m very excited to sign for such a historic club in Ulster Rugby. From my conversations, I believe in the project and can see the potential,” said Augustus.
“It’s exciting to be a part of that and I look forward to meeting my new coaches and teammates in Belfast next summer. I have heard about the proud history of the province with South African players, so I will hopefully feel right at home.
“I’ve heard a lot about the amazing atmosphere in Belfast and can’t wait to meet all the Ulster fans soon!”
Ulster’s general manager Bryn Cunningham added: “We are delighted to agree terms with Juarno and are extremely excited about what he will bring to Ulster Rugby.
“He has shown with Northampton Saints that he is a huge physical presence in the back row, with fantastic ball-carrying and a destructive threat around the breakdown. The modern game is so much about having a point of difference, particularly in explosiveness, and Juarno certainly has this.
“Having already been a key part of a premiership winning team with his peak years just in front of him, he has a rare combination of experience and youth.
“At the core of our recruitment strategy over the coming years will be the continual development of our homegrown players supplemented with targeted acquisitions like Juarno, so we’re delighted that he has decided to be part of our plans and are really excited about the impact he will have.”