Saracens
GOODBYE & GOOD LUCK VINNIE!
By The Saracens
July 4 2022
The end of the 21/22 season sees the departure of Vincent Koch to Wasps. Vinnie joined Sarries in 2016 from The Stormers at the age of 26. He arrived at the same time as Sean Maitland in the heady days before Salary Cap Scandals and relegation. I wonder if he had any idea of the journey he was about to embark on. He had won 2 caps for his Native South Africa but was far from established in the Springbok’s Team. Mark McCall had seen potential in the tighthead and he joined Sarries following the Autumn Internationals that year.
. Somewhat to his surprise, he wasn’t picked for his new club for 8 weeks. When he questioned his lack of selection, Mark McCall told him “We think you are a good player, but we just don’t think you work hard enough”. Not easy words to hear for a player who had started for South Africa in defeat against England. For some International players, that might have been hard to take but Vincent had been substituted the following week in Italy’s historic win over the Springboks (after struggling up against Sami Panico & Nicola Quaglio) and then dropped all together for the final game (also lost) against Wales. Vincent clearly realised there was something in what Mark McCall had to say, “For me, that was a massive eye-opener. Coming from an international set-up, I thought I would probably be the full package, but they were like ‘you don’t work hard enough’. He took the words to heart, worked harder, and became the World Class tighthead he is today.
Vincent credited the coaching staff at Sarries with improving his game. “I had a nice chat with them and they said they wanted to make me a better player, and they invested so much time in me. The things like kick-chase and how hard can you work off the ball. For a tighthead prop, that is something people don’t really expect you to do, but if you can do it, it just stands out. They have made me a better player.” Coming to Sarries was a gamble because in 2016, South Africa still had the 30 cap rule in place and it wasn’t until it was scrapped in 2018 that Rassie Erasmus brought him back into the fold. By then Koch had helped Sarries retain the Champions Cup and win the Aviva Premiership. He was voted Man of the Match in the 2017 semi-final victory over Munster. He ranks the “scrap” against Exeter in the 2019 Final and the victory over Leinster in the same year as his 2 top games for the club.
Vincent was back in the Springbok Team which won the 2019 World Cup, featuring as part of the “Bomb Squad” – along with Steven Kitshoff and Malcolm Marx, the almighty South African front row who come on and “finish things”. He remains an integral part of South Africa’s team today.
Vinnie stuck with Sarries during the dark times of the salary cap relegation. He embraced his time in the Championship and he admitted he was taught a lesson during the first round defeat by Cornish Pirates at the Mennaye Field where he discovered that scrummaging in the Championship brought about a whole new chapter of the dark arts. But he knuckled down, learned from his less illustrious opponents, and improved his game further. He scored 2 tries as Sarries soundly beat Ealing Trailfinders to finally confirm their premiership class in the lower division.
It will be strange to see Vinnie in the black and yellow of Wasps next season and despite the presence of a (hopefully) fit again Marco Riccione along with Eduardo Bello & Christian Judge (not forgetting Alec Clarey), his will be huge boots to fill. It was good to hear that he is also continuing his coaching role at Ampthill – it sounds like he hopes to remain within the game once he hangs up his scrummaging boots. He said “I have decided to share my passion and experience of the dark arts of scrummaging”. His departure from Sarries is almost certainly a result of the reduction in salary cap. At the age of 32, who can blame him for maximising his earning potential while he can. Vincent said, on signing for Wasps: “The saying goes ‘a change is as good as a holiday.’ Saracens have been amazing over the last couple of years, and I have had great times there, that I will always treasure. But I believe it’s time for a change, and a new challenge at Wasps is what I need for the next chapter of my career.”
On leaving Sarries, he said“It's always sad leaving a place that you really love. It's been an unbelievable journey with the club. If you look away from the trophies, the memories I've made with the boys and how good they look after the family. That's the thing that stands out the most. I joined in 2016 and the thing that stood out for me the most was how this is a family-based club. Of course the trophies and the medals and things go with it. The thing is, back in South Africa I didn't really win any trophies, but then coming into an environment and club like this, playing with world-class players at club level has been unbelievable.
I’m sure all Sarries supporters will wish him well in his new career and he will receive a warm welcome when he returns to StoneX, albeit in a different sort of black.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022:08:12:15:31:45 by Darraghgirl.
Good luck to him at Wasps. Will always be happy to see him back but not sure how happy we will be to play against him. Ma Vunipolae is supposed to have wanted her boys together as she didn't like the idea of them playing against each other. I feel much the same with most of the Sarries players who leave. Few do so with as much still to give as I think Koch has but I can understand him wanting a pay-day.
The good news is as long as he's recovered well I think we're brilliantly set with Riccioni who is at a very similar place in terms of his career as Koch was when he joined us and in common with many young props is already very comfortable playing in the loose as well as set piece.
The futures bright even if it will be without Vinnie.
My top memory of Vincent? him walking round the pitch with the trophy, after victory against Ealing at the Stonex. He came over and shook hands with anyone who extended their hand towards him when he had no real need to. A mark of the man IMO and our loss is most definitely Wasps gain.
Quote:LutonS
Top player and a great guy (I had the pleasure of meeting him once) who will be sadly missed.
My top memory of Vincent? him walking round the pitch with the trophy, after victory against Ealing at the Stonex. He came over and shook hands with anyone who extended their hand towards him when he had no real need to. A mark of the man IMO and our loss is most definitely Wasps gain.
But he then got diagnosed with Covid and nearly derailed the Springboks for the Lions series!
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