No Stormers return as 'Trokkie' signs new deal with Northampton Saints

English club Northampton Saints on Monday confirmed that South African No 8 Juarno Augustus has put pen to paper on a new contract.

The 25-year-old joined Northampton from the Stormers in 2021 and has made 45 appearances, including scoring 13 tries, for the Black, Green and Gold outfit.

At 6'2" and 116kg, the burly loose forward has proven himself to be a loose forward built for the physical demands of the English Premiership, demonstrating his powerful and dynamic ball-carrying ability on a regular basis for Saints.

During the 2022/23 season, "Trokkie" made more metres with ball in hand than any other forward in the league, while also topping the Premiership rankings in metres made after contact.

There were talks that Augustus could return to the Stormers once his Northampton deal expires in 2023, but Monday's news puts paid to that.

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"We're delighted to keep Juarno at the club because of the impact he can have on matches for Northampton Saints," director of rugby, Phil Dowson, said in a statement.

"His ball-carrying ability clearly sets him apart - statistically he is one of the very best in the league - but he has huge desire to get better across the board and is improving all the time; creating more turnovers, offloading more often both before and after contact, being stronger in defence, and jumping in our lineout as well.

"He's a class act and makes things happen in games for us as he gets us going forward, which is a very valuable commodity indeed.

"There's loads more he can offer as well, and we look to get him in the game as regularly as possible because, more often than not, the more he touches the ball the better we