New director of rugby Brendan Venter says Saracens need to find a "soul" if they want be successful this season.

The South African believes this is where the Men in Black have struggled in the past, despite having a host of world class players, and he is determined to create a togetherness during his tenure.

The former London Irish player-coach is the latest man after Eddie Jones, the eighth in the last seven years, tasked with the challenge of helping the perennial underachievers finally realise their potential.

Speaking frankly in his first interview with the Watford Observer this week, Venter said: "I spent almost four years at London Irish and it was a wonderful time of my life, mainly because of the friends I made and the people I met. But the challenge is very different.

"The London Irish team had a massive soul to it which, in my opinion, was the problem with Saracens. They didn't have a soul and that's what we're trying to find. If we can find that camaraderie then we will be a good rugby side because those are good rugby players. Otherwise they will just end up another good bunch of rugby players.

"Within the rugby club the players have to respect each other.

"If you look at Saracens over all the years, even when I played for Irish, they had amazing rugby players. They had wonderful world famous names who were the best in their position and these players weren't successful. And there was a reason because they were good rugby players. Is that [world famous names] what is required to be successful? I don't think the answer is yes."

Venter is certainly not your typical rugby coach. He is a qualified doctor and has his own medical practice back in South Africa.

The former Springbok centre insists he will return to his medical work in time but could not turn down the opportunity for another crack at the Guinness Premiership with Sarries.

The 39-year-old, who named Steve Borthwick as club captain on Monday, said: "I enjoy the challenge of rugby, it's just a different challenge and makes you feel alive. But I enjoy medicine immensely because you actually mean something to other people. Rugby is a different challenge and the fact it's so unpredictable makes it so much fun.

"Most things are an exact science, you do those things and you get the rewards. But rugby doesn't work like that. It fluctuates so much and that's what makes it so much fun.

"I think Saracens have got so much potential. I said after I left Irish I would like to coach in an environment where there aren't any limits. Sometimes I feel like Saracens are that club.

"Obviously there is the salary cap we have to adhere to but there is so much potential at Saracens and there have been good people working here before me who have done a great job. There is a fantastic coaching staff which I kept as they are just because they are good people."

The announcement of Venter’s arrival at the start of the year co-incided with a concerted media backlash, following reports up to 15 players were told they could leave, which claimed Saracens were set to undergo a South African revolution.

But the alleged transformation hasn't happened despite the arrival of a handful of talented South African players such as Schalk Brits and Ernst Joubert. Venter has no bitterness towards the press and understands the nature of the job but insists a South African takeover was never part of the agenda for the Men in Black.

"The thing is I don't actually read what people say about things because they don't have the insight we have," Venter explained. "There was no way I was going to be able to change anybody's mind while they were on a roll. So I just decided to not make a comment.

"But it didn't make sense because you can see now, did that happen? It didn't happen but they weren't going to believe me because it's a story. That is the press' job. They're not mean, it's their work. They find a story and they write about it.

"I have a lot of friends within the press circles and because I know that's our relationship I don't get offended when they do it. That’s what they’re supposed to do.

"It's like me being a doctor. Sometimes I put stitches in and I must hurt you. Not because I don't like you but that's my job.

"They have to report certain things and that was an issue. So if I was a journalist I would also probably have written about it," the director of rugby added.