Mouritz Botha is representing England on the five match rugby tour of South Africa. The Saracens lock is originally from the Northern Cape. He moved to Bedford, England, eight years ago, and built his professional rugby career while working part-time jobs washing carpets in a factory, and stripping asbestos roofs. He never played rugby at representative level in South Africa. He was born on 29 January 1982 in Vryheid, and his parents, Herman and Adri, now live in Calvinia. He joined Bedford Blues in 2006 and made 73 appearances before moving to Saracens in 2009. In 2011 he was named in the England Saxons squad for the Churchill Cup after qualifying for England on residency grounds.. Mouritz was part of the England 44-man squad for the 2011 World Cup, making his England debut in the 23-19 England victory over Wales. He played in every game of England's 2012 Six Nations campaign.
His England team member, Brad Barritt, is also South African, as is Mike Catt who was born in Port Elizabeth and is now England's attack coach. Brad is also a Saracens player. He was born on born 07 August 1986 in Durban and attended Kearsney College. He was an under-21 Springbok. He was part of the 2006 Currie Cup and Super 14 Natal Sharks. He played in the 2007 Super 14 Final. After the 2008 Currie Cup, he signed with Saracens. Due to injuries, he was recalled to play in a 2009 Super 14 fixture against the Waratahs, his final game for the Sharks. He was selected to represent the England Saxons at the 2009 Churchill Cup. He first made the England senior squad in 2010 and again for the 2012 Six Nations Championship. Brad's grandparents are English and he is a UK passport holder. He moved to England three years ago.
Matt Stevens is the third South African-born player in the England team. He plays for Saracens. He was born on 01 October 1982 in Durban and attended Kearsney College. He represented Western Province, South African Universities and the Junior Springboks at under-18 and under-19 level, before moving to England to pursue his university studies. He joined Bath Rugby Club in 2002. In 2006, he appeared on The X Factor: Battle of the Stars on British TV. He was mentored by Sharon Osbourne and reached the final, ending up as runner-up. This helped him raise over £125,000 for the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and in October 2006 he was invited to meet Mandela in Johannesburg. In 2009 after a positive drugs test, he was banned from the world-wide game for two years. While serving his ban, he worked in the coffee shop, at Jika Jika, that he co-owns. In January 2010, he signed with Saracens. Matt has a BSc in politics with economics from the University of Bath.
