Junior Bok star Juarno eager to make his mark
IT’S no surprise that the Junior Springbok player of the World Rugby U20 Championships so far is number eight Juarno Augustus and he comes from the same school as Eben Etzebeth. Augustus has the same uncompromising approach to the game as the famed Springbok hardman‚ who also matriculated at the blue collar Tygerberg High School in Cape Town’s working class northern suburbs.
Augustus though‚ player who relishes is not only a physical dominance. He is both a bludgeon and a rapier‚ and has a little of the other national star the school gave to SA‚ Blitzbok playmaker Justin Geduld.
In close quarters Augustus is as tough as any loose-forward the Junior Boks have fielded in the past decade.
Two of his three tries at the tournament have come from muscling his way over the line from close-range.
“This experience is very special‚” said the 19-year old.
“This is the first time I am representing my country‚ so I am just trying to give my best and to play my heart out.
“It was very special to sing the national anthem for the first time in an international tournament; it was something I will never forget. I almost had tears in my eyes.”
Despite being in joint-second position on the top try-scorers’ list in the competition after the first two rounds‚ Augustus said the credit had to go to his teammates.
“The tries were the result of the team’s hard work‚ I was just the one who touched down the ball over the tryline‚” said Augustus.
Unlike most of his teammates‚ Augustus had a slow start to his rugby career‚ as he started playing rugby at the age of 12. His highest achievement before being selected for the SA U20’s was playing in the U18 CocaCola Academy Week.
“I started playing rugby at the age of 12 years old for a local Eersterivier club called Whistling Wheels‚ and at junior level I made the Western Province U12 team‚” said Augustus.
Like all of his teammates Augustus‚ whose role-model is Stormers captain and Springbok loose-forward Siya Kolisi‚ dreams of playing for the Springboks in future‚ and he says he will continue giving his best to achieve this goal.