Ulster's Augustus enjoying South Africa homecoming

Ulster back row Juarno Augustus is relishing being back in his native South Africa as he prepares to face his former club Stormers after recovering from ankle surgery. Ulster back row Juarno Augustus says he is "enjoying his rugby again" after recovering from the ankle surgery he underwent in the summer. This weekend the 28-year-old is preparing to go back to where it all began in terms of his professional playing career as the Irish province face the Stormers in a United Rugby Championship encounter. Augustus, who played for the Cape Town-based side between 2017 and 2021, is relishing the prospect of coming up against his former team while also spending some precious time with his family.

"It's nice just to be at home. I'll probably need a lot of tickets, everyone's been asking me!" said the former Northampton Saints forward. "It's always nice to play against the team you grew up playing for. I'll just try to play my game to the best of my ability. "I had surgery and I was struggling a bit in pre-season to put it behind me but it's all gone now and I've had a run of games. That's the main thing – to keep training and being fit again. " Four games, no wins – Ulster aim for URC turnaround Ulster remain