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. “

Ulster remain without a victory in their URC campaign to date, their 34-26 defeat by the Bulls in Pretoria extending their winless run in the competition this season to four games.

“I don’t think huge things need to change. It’s just a bounce of the ball, just small things that we need to work on and get right,” added Augustus.

Ulster and the Stormers played out a pulsating 38-38 draw in Belfast last term but the number eight is hoping Richie Murphy’s side can go one better on Saturday (12:45 GMT) against a Stormers outfit who have won three and lost one of their four URC matches.

“It’s at their home this time so we need to be sharper, need to be ready for what they’re going to bring. From minute one to minute 80, we need to give it our best. That’s what we are going after.

“They have a lot of dangerous players who can make anything happen in a second. We need to be aware of it.

“Richie and his coaching staff gave us some detail on how they play and it’s up to us now to go out and execute.

“We just need to be on our game every single moment.”