Saracens stay silent on Venter absence ahead of Sale clash

Saracens would not say when Brendan Venter will speak to the media again after the director of rugby missed another press conference on Wednesday.

The London club are preparing to face Sale in England's Premiership. Head coach Joe Shaw spoke to journalists instead of Venter, who is the man in charge of the playing side.

Asked whether Venter would return to media duties, Shaw refused to give an answer. He would not say when a return might happen, or if it will happen at all.

It is part of a pattern. Venter did not attend Prem Rugby's pre-season launch day, the league's official curtain-raiser that brings every club together. He then played no part in media duties before, during or after Saracens' opening-weekend victory at Leicester, according to BBC Sport.

Prem Rugby, which runs the top flight in England, fined Saracens £5,000 for the launch-day absence. The club now face the prospect of a series of further fines for the missed appearances around the Leicester game.

The continued silence has sparked a strange report. The Daily Telegraph reported that Venter had resigned as director of rugby to take a new title of head of rugby culture and wine consultant. Neither Saracens nor Prem Rugby has confirmed that reported change.

Venter's return to the top job was announced in January. He succeeded Mark McCall, who stepped down at the end of last season after 15 years in charge.

McCall led Saracens through the most decorated spell in their history. Venter, a former Saracens coach, was brought back to follow him.

On the pitch, Saracens made a winning start. They edged Leicester 40-38 at Welford Road in a nine-try thriller on the opening weekend.

That win came at a cost. Centre Olly Hartley, a midfield back, broke his arm and had to leave the game after only 13 minutes.

For fans, this leaves two threads to watch. One is the rugby itself, with Sale next up after such a chaotic opener. The other is the off-field dispute, and whether the fines keep stacking up while Venter stays out of view.