Misconduct charge for Venter

Saracens rugby director Brendan Venter has been hit with a misconduct charge following comments he made after his team’s Heineken Cup defeat against Leinster at Wembley earlier this month.

European Rugby Cup disciplinary officer Roger O’Connor has lodged the misconduct complaint following an investigation.

“The misconduct complaint is that the Saracens director of rugby made a number of comments in which he brought into disrepute ERC, the tournament, the match officials and/or the sport of rugby union,” said ERC, in a statement.

The complaint will be heard by a three-man independent disciplinary committee chaired by Frenchman Jean-Noel Couraud in Dublin next Thursday.

After the Leinster pool game, which Saracens lost 25-23, Venter warned the International Rugby Board that the game will be harmed if they do not address current problems at the breakdown.

Venter was furious that French referee Christophe Berdos failed to sin-bin three Leinster players during the second-half when a rash of penalties prevented his team gaining momentum.

Venter said: “Before the Heineken Cup began, I asked if we would have a conference so all the officials from abroad were in tune as to the new interpretations of the laws.

“Instead, we got some European referees in the Premiership, but there is a real danger that if we don’t take action going into a World Cup year, the game of rugby is going to die, be killed stone dead because the public won’t come to watch.

“We will end up playing one type of rugby in the league, another in Europe and when you get to the World Cup, wait and see which referee you get.

“Last season we won 10 games in a row playing a kicking game, a horrible game to watch, but necessary because the breakdown regulations favoured defending teams.

“I may consider returning to that in Europe because there is no system in place to complain about these problems, and that makes it a flawed competition.”

Venter found himself in hot water with the Rugby Football Union last season.

He initially received a 14-week match-day coaching ban, reduced to 10 on appeal, after being charged with conduct prejudicial to the game, namely making provocative and inappropriate gestures and comments towards Leicester supporters during a Premiership game against Saracens at Welford Road.

It meant Venter was banned from Twickenham when Saracens contested their first Premiership final – against Leicester – in May.

Christian Gajan, Bayonne's director of rugby, has also been charged with misconduct following comments he made to the media after his team's Amlin Challenge Cup defeat against Connacht earlier this month.

He will also appear at an ERC hearing next Thursday, while Bayonne’s fellow French club Montpellier have been summoned to answer a complaint they failed to nominate their strongest possible squad for this season’s Challenge Cup competition.

The Montpellier squad for Europe does not include a number of the club’s international players.

They are in the same Challenge Cup pool as Aviva Premiership clubs Exeter and Newcastle, and won their opening two games against those opponents.