Juarno Augustus heads home for Stormers vs Ulster after ankle surgery

Ulster's next URC assignment carries a personal edge for Juarno Augustus. The 28-year-old back row played for the Stormers from 2017 to 2021, and now lines up against them.

The two sides meet in round five of the URC at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday 31 October, with kick-off at 14:45 SAST. Augustus, who has also played for Northampton Saints, had ankle surgery in the summer and has now recovered.

The trip means a return to where his career started, and he expects plenty of familiar faces in the crowd. "It's nice just to be at home. I'll probably need a lot of tickets, everyone's been asking me!" he said.

Ulster still looking for a win

Ulster badly need a result. On Saturday 24 October they lost 34-26 to the Bulls in Pretoria, which leaves them without a win in four URC games this season. They have drawn two and lost two, and they are 13th in the URC standings.

The Stormers are coming off a very different weekend. On the same Saturday they beat the Scarlets 52-40 in Cape Town, scoring two late tries to settle the game. That leaves them with three wins and one defeat from their four URC matches, and 16 points.

"It's at their home this time so we need to be sharper, need to be ready for what they're going to bring," he said.