Fly-half: Derick Hougaard
Capped eight times by South Africa, Hougaard originally swapped Loftus Versfeld for Leicester Tigers in 2008 before joining Saracens in the summer of 2009. The fly-half, who’s calm and ease in the No10 shirt won him many admirers during his time in north London but a crippling Achilles injury robbed him of his best years and forced him to retire and return to South Africa in 2012.
Scrum-half: Neil de Kock
No one can lay claim to the mantle of the best Saracens import more than Neil de Kock. The legendary Sarries halfback gave 11-years stellar service to the Men in Black where he made 263 appearances, also captaining the club for spell.
He won three Premiership’s and two European Cup’s in his memorable career in the UK after he arrived at Vicarage Road from South Africa’s Stormers Super Rugby side in 2006. A bonified Saracens legend.
Prop: John Smit
A Springbok legend who amassed an incredible 111 caps for his country joined Saracens in the summer of 2011 from Super Rugby franchise, The Sharks. One of South Africa’s most respected and revered figures, the inspirational hooker followed in the footsteps of another former Saracens South African, Francois Pienaar, in lifting the William Webb Ellis trophy for the Rainbow Nation after South Africa defeated England to be crowned World Champions in 2007 in Paris.
After a brief spell for ASM Clermont Auvergne he returned to Durban to his beloved Sharks where he brought down the curtain on a 11-year career with South Africa by signing a two-year deal with Saracens. Smit represented the north London club on 45 occasions before hanging up his boots in 2013.
Hooker: Schalk Brits
Brits deserves to be acclaimed as the greatest import in the history of the Premiership. He is that good. Joining Sarries in 2009, the South African hooker has helped to redefine the role of the hooker with his pragmatic style of play, making over 200 appearances for the club, winning a heap of trophies.
Prop: Vincent Koch
A native South African, Koch joined the club from Super Rugby franchise the Stormers in the summer of 2016. His debut season saw Koch excel as part of a Saracens side that retained their Champions Cup title, with a win against Clermont in Edinburgh, and his impressive showing in the semi-final against Munster earned him the man of the match award
Koch’s first taste of international rugby came as part of a South Africa President’s XV in the 2013 Tblisi Cup, before making his full Springbok debut in the 2015 Rugby Championship as a replacement against the All Blacks, earning 10 caps in total.