By saracensfan62
August 7 2026

I’d say there is a significantly different feel to our club this coming year. After fifteen years in the hot-seat, Mark McCall has stepped back into a consultancy role and the good Dr Brendan Venter has switched back into the role of DoR. It's the end of an era in one sense and the start of a new one in another and Venter hasn't wasted time reshaping the squad around him. The Saracens version of the night of the long knives is the thing that comes to mind with Venter, oh and “Three cheers for Sireli Bobo”. Tom Willis is off to Bordeaux Begles, Marco Riccioni is headed for Perpignan, Theo McFarland heading to La Rochelle, Alex Lozowski to Sale Sharks, Ivan van-Zyl to the Bulls in SA plus the usual churn of departures that comes with a competitive Premiership rota. But it's the incomings that will define how this season goes and we have moved for a genuinely interesting mix – some well-established international contenders and a couple of development punts who could turn into absolute steals. I have compiled a big list plus a little backstory and history for their respective journeys. Hope you enjoy folks!

Tomos Williams from Gloucester

I’d argue this signing is the one that really shows we mean business for the 26-27 season, its Tomos Williams arriving having spent the last two years at Gloucester turning himself into one of the most feared 9s in the country. He is sharp enough with ball in hand to worry any defence and experienced enough to have led the Cherry and Whites as captain this past season. He was reportedly being courted by clubs in the Top14 so its frankly an honour to have him at Sarries.

The Wales international's rugby education started at Cardiff  Blues where he came through the academy and made his senior debut at just 18 years of age. He eventually made over a hundred appearances before his move to Gloucester in 2024. He's long since become a Wales stalwart through the bad times and the good. There’s no doubting his CV and repertoire of tricks and plays, especially since he played sevens for Wales at age 19. He is no stranger to fast rugby. I hope to see him working well with the likes of Fergus Burke and Fazza, the latter having a vast deal of international experience with Williams both playing with and against him.

George Martin from Leicester Tigers

Martin's rise has been rapid by any standard. A product of Rawlins, Brooksby Melton College and the Leicester academy he made his senior debut in 2019 and was in an England shirt within eighteen months, playing in the covid hit six nations of 2021 v Ireland as a replacement for Billy Vunipola. It is a trajectory that's since brought him more than twenty caps and a place in Steve Borthwick's squad for the 2023 World Cup featuring in a couple of games against Fiji and South Africa I think.

He's not short of silverware either, having come off the bench for Leicester in the 2022 final (vs us, of all teams). Injury disrupted his 2024/25 campaign, but at 6'6" and almost 130kg, he's exactly the kind of physical, abrasive lock presence Saracens have been searching for to add depth and genuine international quality to the second row. Very much stepping into Theo McFarland’s space, but with the likes of Hugh Tiz, Nick isiekwe and Maro itoje, there’s no shortage of competition for starting spots.

Alfie Barbeary from Bath

Barbeary's story is certainly a story full of adaptation and reinvention. He started out as a hooker in the Wasps academy, and it was there that he first really starte to enter the spotlight – scoring a hatrick at 20 years old in superb fashion. There was every danger that when Wasps collapsed and entered administration 4 years ago (how quickly has that gone!), he would become one of the many to lose their jobs and livelihood. But not Alfie. He moved to Bath and IMO that paid off in spectacular fashion given season before last he was part of the Bath side that won an extraordinary title against Tigers and he was also shortlisted for EPCR Player of the Year award. I cannot wait to see Alfie sink his teeth into some ball carrying this season and hopefully fill a Tom Willis-sized hole. Both destructive ball carriers and quick on their feet. Exciting, no?!

Tom James from Northampton Saints

Another scrum half arriving is Tom James. Perhaps a bit of a forgotten man from Saints’ perspective, he has spent his entire career with them, making numerous appearances and playing a part in the Saints' 2023-24 Premiership title win, albeit off the bench. He won't be the headline act alongside Tomos Williams arriving, but I do understand why Tom has come to Sarries. Having become rather a forgotten man in the last season for Saints with Archie McParland and Alex Mitchell now firmly in the starting 23, maybe seeking a new opportunity, Sarries gladly snapped him up. We now have three scrum-halves with genuine Premiership pedigree competing for the same jersey, including young Charlie Bracken. That kind of depth tends to matter most in the business end of a season.

Corné Weilbach from Stormers/Western Province

Weilbach's arrival to sarries definely came with a bit of a backstory. Saracens had already agreed a deal to bring in Wallaby tighthead Jermaine Ainsley but that move fell apart in the spring after a back injury forced Ainsley to leave France and return home to New Zealand. Certain things didn’t work out and the deal completely fell apart. Strange but I do not know anymore concerning the matter. Over the last few years, having lost tightheads such as Titi Lamositele, Juan Figallo, Vincent Koch and recently Marco Riccioni to Perpignan, we have turned instead to South Africa's next crop, landing the 24-year-old Weilbach from the Stormers. He will

A product of Paul Roos Gymnasium, which also produced current Springboks Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Canan Moodie and Jordan Hendrikse, Weilbach worked his way up through Western Province, making his Currie Cup debut in 2022. He moved to the stormers and got some good first team action over the first couple of years there. However, for Corne First-team opportunities in Cape Town have been hard to come by this season. It seems a smart bit of business – picking up some real SA brawn and bolstering the tighthead rank along with Marcus Street, Harvey Beaton and Tietie Tuimauiga.

Sione Va'enuku from Ampthill

The least conventional path of the lot, Va'enuku began his professional career in rugby league with the Sydney Roosters before switching codes after moving to the UK. V’enuku moved to Saints originally, but didn’t find the opportunity there and instead transferred to Ampthill. It was Ampthill move that really gave him his first full-time professional union contract and while he's the quietest name on this list, he's exactly the kind of signing we’ve made a habit of getting right over the years.

Cannot wait for the first pre season games coming up and being back at StoneX soon with a new-look sarries side. COYS.

Hello and welcome, Saracens joiners 2026-27

Discussion started by TheSaracens.com , 07/08/2026 11:00

TheSaracens.com
07/08/2026 11:00

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nedrichards
07/08/2026 22:07

Helpful article, thanks, and appreciated to see stuff up regularly.

To add a small caveat, surely former Sarries legend Ernst Joubert (and also Damien Willemse who played for us a bit) are better references for the quality of Paul Roos Gymnasium! Given that it seems they've had 53 boks go to their school (my goodness) there may be a few more out there too.

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saracensfan62
08/08/2026 12:38

Thank you Ned
I only mentioned those 3 as they are of a similar (or if not the same) age to corne so probably played and trained with him.

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nedrichards
08/08/2026 14:56

Fair point.

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saracensfan62
09/08/2026 21:15

Although Joubert and Willemse also very worthy mentions. Paul Roos, Grays College and Paarl probably the leaders. If I am right in thinking 2 other pretty big names for us (Schalk Brits and Burger) were also Paul Roos

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nedrichards
09/08/2026 21:54

Yep, good memory saracensfan62 the stellensbosch is strong.

This was inspired I'll admit by a false memory of Luke Davidson being Paul Roos (he's Michaelhouse which is where Michael Rhodes went to school)

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saracensfan62
11/08/2026 08:56

Michael Rhodes... we really have enjoyed success with our South African contingent in the past!

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