Saracens boss Venter skips more media duties — SkimNews
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- Joe Shaw declined to confirm when or if Brendan Venter will speak to the media again, telling reporters only: "I'm just going to talk about the rugby."
- Venter has now skipped Prem Rugby's pre-season launch day, the pre-match press conference for the Sale fixture, and all media before, during and after the opening-weekend 40-38 win at Leicester.
- Saracens have been fined £5,000 for Venter's absence at the pre-season launch, and a change of job title would not remove his contractual media duties, per BBC Sport's understanding.
- The Daily Telegraph reported that Venter had "resigned" and taken up a new role as "head of rugby culture and wine consultant" — a claim neither the club nor Prem Rugby has confirmed.
- Saracens announced in January that Venter would return as director of rugby, succeeding Mark McCall after 15 years, and have yet to publicly confirm any change to his day-to-day responsibilities.
- Olly Hartley broke his arm 13 minutes into Sunday's win at Leicester, his latest injury blow after a full knee reconstruction sustained against Gloucester in April 2024.
Why it matters: Saracens are accruing financial penalties from Prem Rugby for Venter's media blackout while the club itself refuses to clarify whether his role has changed, leaving the reigning club's leadership structure publicly ambiguous at the start of the season.
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