If former Springbok centre Brendan Venter's Saracens team are reminiscent of the world champions, so much the better, according to Shaun Edwards in the Guardian.
"South Africa are, after all, the world and Tri-Nations champions, so any coach who has men in important positions who can do what their Springbok counterparts do would be foolish not to use them. The difference at Saracens is that they also have the Venter factor – the steel and resilience that makes them special.
"It may be an exaggeration but the story goes that this week, while England's coaches were worrying that the Saracens captain, Steve Borthwick, might not be fit in time for the autumn internationals, after suffering a rib injury against Harlequins, Venter was wondering whether he could get his man fit and ready for Sunday.
"As I say, it may be an exaggeration, but it does reveal the manner of the man. Venter may be a qualified doctor – a medic, not a scientist or a man of letters – but the way he played as a centre with 17 South Africa caps gave little regard to the damage that might be done to his or his opponent's body. The same applied when he became a coach, first with London Irish and then back in South Africa."
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