# Brendan Venter and Saracens media duty dispute

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/brendan-venter-and-saracens-media-duty-dispute
> Updated: 2026-10-04T02:59:19.000Z. Sources: 5. Developments: 2.

Following a dispute regarding mandatory media obligations in Premiership Rugby, Saracens appointed Brendan Venter as ‘head of rugby culture and wine consultant’. This title change occurred after Venter’s departure from his director of rugby role and followed fines totaling over £5,000 for his failure to attend promotional events and press conferences.

Saracens had disputed these fines, arguing that Venter’s new position did not trigger the specific media mandates required of a director of rugby. However, Venter has since stepped down from the wine consulting role to focus exclusively on his coaching and media responsibilities.

## Timeline

### 2026-10-04: Brendan Venter steps down from wine consulting role at Saracens

Former Springbok Brendan Venter is stepping down from his wine consulting role at Saracens to focus on his media and rugby duties following recent club fines.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/brendan-venter-steps-down-from-wine-consulting-role-at-saracens

### 2026-09-29: Saracens rename Brendan Venter ‘wine consultant’ amid media duty dispute

Saracens have renamed Brendan Venter ‘head of rugby culture and wine consultant’ to resolve disputes over mandatory Premiership Rugby media duties and club fines.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/saracens-rename-brendan-venter-wine-consultant-amid-media-duty-dispute

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Cite as: Brendan Venter and Saracens media duty dispute. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/brendan-venter-and-saracens-media-duty-dispute