Former England scrum-half Danny Care says "some of the powers that be" at Saracens have "let the players down".
New Saracens chief executive Ed Coetzee confirmed on Friday that Venter's job title, which differs to the one he was said to have when appointed to succeed Mark McCall, includes "significant media duties". Venter duly spoke to TNT Sports before the match with Sale and said he refused the director of rugby job title because he had "absolutely nothing" to do with other departments of the club, such as the academy and women's section.
But Care said the stories around Venter's role looked to have had a negative impact on the pitch. "Sarries have done some amazing things in the last year or so, bringing a new energy, a new vibe," he said. "But then it just feels like they're taking the mickey out of everyone by [saying] 'he's not doing interviews today' and taking fines and changing his job title."
"You can only do that when you are so much better at rugby than everyone else and at the moment, they're not. [The performance against Sale] looked flat. I don't blame the players. I blame the management for that."
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing