Brendan Venter likens compulsory media duties to 'something from an autocratic land' at Saracens press conference
On 7 October 2026 Brendan Venter appeared alongside head coach Joe Shaw at a Saracens press conference to preview Saturday's Premiership match against Bristol and described compulsory media duties as "something from an autocratic land". He initially gave short answers to reporters before expanding on his opposition to being the public face of the club.
Venter returned to Saracens full-time in the summer, first taking the director of rugby role before his job title was changed to head of culture and technical director. His absence from a pre-season media event attracted a £5,000 fine for the club and he avoided questions both before and after Saracens' opening-round win over Leicester. Prem Rugby rules require the most senior coach at each club to undertake routine media duties, and the article noted that titles vary — for example Rob Baxter is Exeter's director of rugby and George Skivington is Gloucester's head coach, but both answer questions each week.
Addressing reporters at the pre-match briefing, Venter said: "I have the desire as a human being not to want to talk. It is not about me, it is about the team… I expressed that desire before I came." He added that he had tried to explain his position: "I asked really kindly and eventually I bent over backwards to explain my position. And then I'm expected again to come and do an interview." Venter criticised the enforcement of media appearances: "If we get obsessed, get into an argument and fine a club, that for me does not make sense." He went on to say: "It sounds like something from an autocratic land, not a democracy where people have the right to say: 'This is what I want to do'."
Venter told reporters someone else at the club could handle interviews: "If you want an interview, you have a brilliant person in Joe. I do not have the desire to do an interview. It stole my joy the previous time and I want to have a low profile." He stressed his preference was to focus on coaching: "That was my desire and to help to coach the rugby team. I do not want to be doing interviews. It's not because I think I'm better than anybody else. To be put over as an arrogant person who thinks he's better than doing interviews… it's not at all that."
The article recalled controversy from Venter's earlier 16-month spell in charge of Saracens, noting he was disciplined for accusing a referee of "being influenced", making provocative gestures at spectators and saying officials were not being trained well enough to keep up with laws. It reported he ignored an obligation for club captain Steve Borthwick to attend a Heineken Cup launch event, instead sending Borthwick on a beer-fuelled team-bonding trip to Munich, and that a reprimand by European rugby authorities was followed by a post-match interview in which he agreed with the premise of every question, inspired by a scene from the film Mike Bassett: England Manager.
After leaving Saracens in 2011 the article said Venter, who won the Rugby World Cup as a player with South Africa in 1995, worked with the Sharks, Italy and South Africa. It added that changes to his job title since his return — reportedly including a stint as the club's wine consultant that lasted a matter of days — appeared to be an attempt to avoid media obligations. Venter also told TNT Sport that team-selection decisions are made by consensus rather than any single person having final say.
Venter spoke about his reasons for returning, saying: "I love coaching rugby. I love working with players. It is a privilege we get as human beings to be in a position where we can influence things, both good and bad. People in life rarely get that privilege. It's a phenomenal game to be a part of and that's why when [Saracens owner] Dominic [Silvester] asked me, I agreed to come back. You make friends like you never make in your life. When there are good times and difficult times, it builds character. I'm privileged enough to be doing that on a daily basis."
It is expected Venter will continue to face the media for the rest of the campaign, and his remarks came as he and Shaw prepared for Saracens' forthcoming Premiership fixture against Bristol on Saturday.