UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP
Mike Greenaway|Published
Cameron Hanekom and Juarno “Trokkie” Augustus will arrive at Saturday’s Bulls v Ulster clash in Pretoria in the form that should make their head-to-head battle a weekend United Rugby Championship highlight.
Both No 8s have been making their presence felt, carrying hard, breaking tackles, and giving their teams valuable momentum. Hanekom has been a standout for the Bulls since returning from injury, while Augustus produced a Player of the Match performance for Ulster in last weekend’s Challenge Cup victory over Zebre Parma.
For Hanekom, the challenge is exciting rather than a personal rivalry.
“I’ll give it everything I’ve got,” the Bulls loose forward said. “I don’t have any personal history with him. He’s an exceptional player and was unlucky to be injured a while back.
“I think it will be a good challenge, and I’m excited to see how the teams go.”
Augustus arrives with a spring in his step. The former Stormers forward was outstanding in Ulster’s 40–21 win over Zebre, making 25 carries—more than any other player over the weekend—and ranking third for post-contact metres with 31 as the Irish province ran in six tries.
It was another reminder of the qualities that have made the 28-year-old such an influential player since leaving South Africa for Northampton Saints in 2021.
At the Stormers, Augustus was overlooked for Test duty, but his performances in England put him firmly on the Springbok radar. He played a pivotal role in Northampton’s domestic title triumph in 2023–24 and their run into the Champions Cup during the following season.
He was subsequently included in the Springboks’ squad for the July internationals in 2025, but injury denied him a Test debut. His frustration continued this year when another injury ruled him out ahead of the Nations Championship, although Rassie Erasmus confirmed in June that Augustus remained in his thinking.
Now fit and firing, he has an opportunity to make another statement against a player who has been doing much the same in Pretoria.
Hanekom has been one of the Bulls’ most impressive performers early in the season. After missing almost a year through injury, he returned to the Springboks during the Greatest Rivalry series and made a significant impact off the bench.
He has carried that form into the Bulls campaign, earning Player of the Match honours in the demolition of the Lions and coming close to the award again in last week’s victory over Stade Francais.
The 24-year-old is enjoying his rugby, but he is not getting carried away by the praise.
“There were areas of my game I wanted to fix, and some of them I didn’t fix,” he said of his recent performances.
“That’s the luck of the game, at least, that we can get another opportunity to go out there and work on the things that need work.
“The confidence is coming slowly but surely, but I’ll never be over-confident. There’s always space for improvement, and I’m always willing to learn.”
That mindset will be important against an Ulster side that has shown plenty of attacking promise despite a frustrating start to its URC campaign. They lost their opening match 34–29 at home to Edinburgh before drawing 33–33 away to Glasgow Warriors and 26–26 at home to Munster.
Hanekom knows the Bulls cannot afford to underestimate their visitors.
“Ulster are always a class act,” he said. “They’ve got a good team, they’ve got a good system.”
The Bulls will want to build on their recent performances in front of their home supporters, but Hanekom believes consistency and adaptability will be crucial as the season unfolds.
“Every team gives you different pictures, and you must be able to adapt fast enough to do what’s coming your way.
“We must just remember what we’re capable of, but also not think that it’s just going to happen for us.”
With Hanekom eager to keep his Bulls momentum rolling and Augustus looking to build on his European heroics, Pretoria could be treated to a compelling contest between two of the competition’s in-form loose forwards.