VENTER CRITICISES PREM RUGBY OVER MEDIA FINE

Brendan Venter, Saracens' technical director and head of culture, has criticised Premiership Rugby as "autocratic" after the body fined the club over his absence from media duties. Venter addressed the issue publicly for the first time at Saracens' training base in St Albans, having avoided press engagements for much of the season. He said he had expressed a personal wish not to be the focus of media attention before taking up his current position, adding that his role should be about the team rather than himself. Venter also said Saracens does not have a director of rugby, stating that Joe Shaw serves as head coach and that Shaw's input is "way more valuable" than his own. One report said Prem Rugby's fine over his media no-shows amounted to £5,000.

Venter returned to Saracens this year, taking up a position he had previously left some 15 years earlier, though he said the club later changed his title to head of rugby culture and wine consultant. He said he found it difficult to reconcile being fined over media commitments with his right, as he put it, to decline them, comparing the situation to conduct he associated with an autocracy rather than a democracy. Venter has previously faced disciplinary scrutiny at Saracens over public comments, including past incidents referred to as "biscuit-gate" and a widely noted remark in which he said "three cheers for Sireli Bobo" during a media interview.

Venter touched on wider subjects during his appearance, including comparisons between rugby and winemaking, and referenced an inspirational talk he said he had recently given at a school, as well as mentioning Ukraine and Gaza. No further disciplinary action or response from Premiership Rugby was reported following Venter's comments. It remains unclear whether Saracens' approach to his media duties will change following the fine.