Saracens’ Brendan Venter misses another media conference as role questions persist

Saracens director of rugby Brendan Venter missed the club’s pre-match press conference on Wednesday, 30 September, ahead of its game against Sale Sharks. Head coach Joe Shaw would not say whether Venter would resume media duties, leaving the club’s plans for his public appearances unclear, according to BBC Sport.

Venter’s absence follows other missed media commitments at the start of the 2026/27 season. BBC Sport reported that he did not attend Prem Rugby’s pre-season launch day and carried out no media duties before, during or after Saracens’ opening-weekend victory at Leicester. Wednesday’s conference was another opportunity for the club to address his position, but Shaw directed questions about it to Saracens.

What Joe Shaw said about Venter’s media duties

Asked whether Venter would return to speaking to the media as part of his director of rugby responsibilities, Shaw said: ‘I’m just going to talk about the rugby. I’ll leave the club to talk about where we stand on all those kind of things.’ He gave no date for a return and did not say whether Venter would speak publicly again in that role.

The answer leaves a distinction between what Saracens formally announced in January and what Venter has done publicly since the new season began. Shaw did not announce a change in Venter’s job, and BBC Sport said the club had yet to publicly confirm any change to his day-to-day responsibilities. The broadcaster said it had contacted Saracens for comment.

Reported fine and questions over Venter’s role

The Daily Telegraph reported on Tuesday that Venter had resigned as director of rugby and taken a position described as ‘head of rugby culture and wine consultant’. BBC Sport said neither Saracens nor Prem Rugby had confirmed that account. Without confirmation from either organisation, the reported title cannot establish whether Venter’s formal role has changed or explain why he has missed the media events.

NewsJaws previously reported on the possibility of further fines over Venter’s missed media commitments. Wednesday’s development is his absence from another pre-match conference and Shaw’s refusal to say when, or if, he will resume speaking to reporters. The BBC’s account of a £5,000 fine concerns the earlier pre-season launch day; it does not establish a further penalty for Wednesday’s absence.

Saracens’ January appointment of Brendan Venter

In its January announcement, Saracens said Venter would rejoin the club full time and become director of rugby at the start of the 2026/27 season. That announcement remains the club’s publicly stated account of the transition cited in BBC Sport’s report. It followed Mark McCall’s decision to step down after 15 consecutive seasons as director of rugby.

Saracens said McCall would stay involved as a technical adviser and join its board. The club presented the appointments as a continuing partnership: Venter had first held the director of rugby position in 2009, recruited McCall as first-team coach, then stepped away from full-time work in early 2011. McCall became director of rugby, while Venter remained a part-time technical adviser for the following 15 years.

Venter linked his decision to return to McCall’s continuing involvement. ‘Mark’s continued involvement was key to me accepting the appointment,’ he said in the club’s January statement. That account explains the structure Saracens intended to put in place for the new season, but it does not provide a reason for Venter’s recent absence from press conferences or other media events.

What remains unconfirmed before Saracens face Sale

Saracens have not publicly confirmed the reported new title or a change to Venter’s day-to-day responsibilities, according to BBC Sport. Prem Rugby has not confirmed the reported role change either. Shaw’s comments do not settle whether Venter will attend a later conference. The reason for his absences, the status of his media obligations and any further disciplinary action therefore remain open questions ahead of the Sale match.