South Africa connection: The stunning Saracens XV made up of players from the country

Francois Pienaar and John Smit both led the Springboks to world titles before materialising in Greater London.

They have been criticised in the past for investing too heavily in South African imports and the link remains strong with Schalk Burger and Vincent Koch being linchpins of the Sarries pack while Michael Rhodes and Brad Barritt also hail from Springbok territory.

Here is an XV of the best South African players to represent Saracens (It's very impressive):

He won the 1995 Rugby World Cup with the Springboks before moving to Saracens in 1997, scoring 363 points in 37 appearances in the next two seasons.

After spending two seasons with Benetton Treviso, Horak signed with Saracens for the 2009–10 season, but announced his retirement with immediate effect in January 2010.

Reaching over 190 caps for Saracens, Brad Barritt has been one of the cornerstones of the Sarries ‘Wolfpack’ defence that has dominated European club rugby over the past couple of seasons.

Originally hailing from South Africa, Brad joined Saracens from Super Rugby side the Sharks in 2008, and his relentless defensive effort, granite-like toughness and incredible rugby vision made him an instant hit at the north London club, winning Saracens’ Player of the Season Award in the 2009/10 season.

His club form, as well as his appearances for the England Saxons side caught the eye of Stuart Lancaster, the then England head coach, who gave him his opportunity to play international rugby for the senior England team, as Barritt qualifies through English grandparents. He earnt 26 full international caps.

De Beer made his Springbok debut against the British & Irish Lions in 1997, playing in the dead rubber third Test victory over the tourists in place of Henry Honiball. His most famous moment in international rugby came in the quarter-final of the 1999 Rugby World Cup, when he slotted a record five drop-goals to beat England in Paris.

In 1997 he also notched a South African record, scoring 46 points for Free State in a Currie Cup victory over Northern Free State. He retired in 2002 due to a knee injury, having enjoyed a spell in England with Saracens.

The 23-cap South Africa international signed for Saracens F.C. in time for their campaign in 2007. He only spent one season with the London club, scoring 27 points in one season for the club before joining Top 14 side Clermont.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Hargreaves made 79 appearances for the Men in Black since arriving at the club from Super Rugby franchise Sharks in 2012. He then skippered Saracens to the 2014/15 Aviva Premiership title in his first season as Club captain. The lock then retired from rugby with immediate effect in October 2016 following a concussion injury.

He scored a try on his debut for Saracens in a 27–14 defeat against London Irish at the Madejski Stadium on 23 November 2009. However, despite a series of good performances, on 18 March 2010, it was confirmed that Saracens had released him to return to South Africa where he would play for the Lions. This was a surprise, as Saracens had indicated he would see out the season with the club.

Making his Saracens debut in September 2016, Burger was part of the side that defended the Champions Cup title, claiming the second of two victories in a row in Edinburgh in May 2017.

The sight of Schalk Burger in the famous green Springbok jersey has been one that has dominated South African rugby for the majority of the 21st century, winning 86 caps for South Africa. His international career has seen him win a World Cup in 2007, a World Cup Bronze medal in 2015 and face the 2009 British & Irish Lions. He was also named IRB Player of the Year in 2004.

Another World Cup-winning captain, under his leadership Saracens, won the Tetley's Bitter Cup (Anglo-Welsh Cup) in 1998 and came in second during the Guinness Premiership, the top division in the English rugby system.

During the next two seasons, the Saracens came in second and forth in the standings qualifying for the European Cup both times. In 2000, Pienaar retired as a player to become the Saracens' CEO and remained as coach.

Due to the team's lack of success in the subsequent two years, Pienaar believed it was best if he stepped down as CEO and coach in 2002.

The 35-year old South African loose forward, who has starred for Saracens since his arrival at the club in 2009, hung up his boots after a stellar career in 2015 after representinh the Men in Black on 160 occasions. During his six year spell at the club, Joubert has lifted the Aviva Premiership on two occasions.