FORMER Kempsey Cannonballs player Jarrod Saul is back in town for a brief visit before heading back to Germany where he is playing rugby union.
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The 22-year-old flew in to surprise his family two weeks ago and will fly out of Australia next Wednesday.
He said it has been an action packed homecoming so far.
“I went to Newcastle for the Melbourne Cup before going to the Kempsey Cup and I also had my brother’s formal to go to,” he said.
“It’s been great catching up with everyone. My family had no idea I coming over until I showed up so it was great to see their reactions.”
Saul has been in Germany for more than a year where he plays for SC Germania List team.
He has been under the watchful eye of former Kempsey Rugby Union stalwart Allan Nugent who is part of the coaching staff while one of his team mates is also Australian.
The inside centre said familiarity has helped him to make the transition into a new playing environment.
“I’ve been looked after really well,” he said.
“Having Nuge here has helped out and the family I stayed with when I first moved over here were really great. There are about 10 or 15 guys in the team who speak English fluently so it didn’t take too long for me to fit in.”
Saul’s team are fourth in the Bundesliga 1 competition which is the top tier in German Rugby.
Included in the competition are players from the national side as well as paid professionals.
While it has a long way to go to compete with the likes of soccer, Saul said the game is on the rise.
“It is definitely a burgeoning sport over here,”
“The standard is strong and it has been a really good experience playing against some of the better teams in the league.”
