Higuain struck once inthe first half and twice in quick succession after thebreak as Diego Maradona's side made it two wins out of two in Group B and fired another warning that they are one of the teams to beat in South Africa.
Hougaard landed a second penalty just before the interval and, after thebreak, Sarries drew level with two tries in quick succession as they launched a sustained assault on the Springboks line.
Lewis Price, preferred to Danny Coyne in goal, was forced to make two saves in quick succession after thebreak as Wales failed to rediscover the high tempo of the first half.