Two of those are among the suggestions made by a flailing Alan Partridge in the famous “smell my cheese” sketch, the other took place on a chilly Tuesday night in north London this week. No prizes for guessing which, given recent events, but 12 months ago it would not have been so easy. Things move fast in the Saracens world, however.
When the invitation arrived, you could not help but smile. Saracens would dispute that Venter’s temporary job title change from director of rugby to head of rugby culture and wine consultant was, to put it bluntly, taking the mickey. But, still, there was something delicious about it.
Curiosity took hold, invitation was accepted. A poisoned chalice or a peace offering? It soon became clear this was a charm offensive.
Saracens have been through the mill of late and felt the need to issue a fierce statement this week defending themselves. To recap, they were fined because Prem Rugby executives felt Venter was dodging media obligations. They have endured mixed results to date but the performance against Sale, witnessed by a worryingly sparse crowd, was cause for concern.
And they sacked the 21-year-old Totoa Auvaa after his latest brush with the law. Accordingly, Saracens threw open the doors and wheeled out the big guns. Chief executive, chairman, owner, Owen Farrell, Ben Earl and George Martin and, of course, Venter, in his element with dozens of bottles of red to get stuck into.
Venter’s reasons for not wanting to fulfil media duties are roughly threefold. One, because he does not like the banality of it all. Two, he wants to promote his coaches such as Joe Shaw; and, third, he does not trust himself to bite his lip and avoid disciplinary proceedings.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
