Stormers No.8 Juarno Augustus has signed a two-year deal with English Premiership side Northampton Saints and will leave in July.
The 23-year-old was granted an early release from his current contract with Western Province Professional Rugby and intends to return to his home union in 2023 with even more to offer.
Of his move, Augustus says: “This is a great opportunity for me to experience a new environment and grow so that I can add more value in the blue and white jersey in the future.”
Stormers coach John Dobson adds: “We were not going to stand in Juarno’s way and wish him all the best, he is still very young and will add to his game in the next two years before returning to us.
“He is a proud product of this region and we look forward to seeing him develop his game and return a better player one day.
“We have seen the benefit in the past of such a move with our current captain Steven Kitshoff and we are hopeful that Juarno’s career will follow the same path.”
Augustus made his Western Province debut in 2017 and played his first game for the Stormers later that same year.