Mouritz Botha hopes he and Saracens will have plenty of cause for celebration in what could be a very productive 2014.
Skills
Among those providing competition at lock is Hayden Smith, a man who has returned to English rugby after trying his luck in the NFL with the New York Jets.
"He's been away, come back and has new ideas," Botha said of the USA international.
"It's great to have him back. I think there are a lot of skills that he has learnt. He's just concentrating on getting back into the swing of things. Having been away for a year-and-a-half, there are a lot of skills that he needs to polish and get back up to speed."
Also in the mix for a place in the Saracens pack is former England captain Steve Borthwick - a man who is set to slip into retirement at the end of the season and will hang up his boots with a status as a modern day great safely secured.
Botha said of his illustrious colleague: "Steve has had one of the most successful and biggest Premiership careers. He has played the most minutes, by a long way, of anyone in the Premiership. Losing him will be a really big loss, but it is a big opportunity for guys to step up and play.
"When I first joined Saracens, I was told by people who had played with Steve before: 'Just stick with Steve and learn as much from him as you can'. I did and that has really helped my career develop. I have strengthened in different areas and have certainly learnt a lot from him and owe him a lot."
South African-born Botha has followed in Borthwick's footsteps by gracing the England national side and admits he still harbours of ambitions of forcing his way back into the fold despite facing intense competition for places from rising stars such as Wasps' Joe Launchbury and Northampton's Courtney Lawes.
He added: "It wasn't long ago when it was a position that England didn't have much strength in, for two or three years, but if you look at it now, those guys coming through have made it a difficult position to get into the squad. There is a lot of competition and it's a really strong position.
"At the moment, I have had a stop-start season with injuries and I just need to focus on getting into the starting XV every week. Hopefully, if I can do that, I can show some form and then, who knows, I might be ready. It's definitely something that I want to do and want to be a part of. I have international aspirations and I'm ready for the challenge. Hopefully it all goes well."
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