Stuart, Dewi and Will discuss the impact that Brendan Venter has had on Saracens as he heads back home.
Venter has bonded Saracens at last
Brendan Venter's successful but turbulent spell as Saracens director of rugby will end when he leaves the post to return to his native South Africa for in January.
Venter took charge of Saracens at the start of the 2009 season and took them from Premiership underachievers to defeated finalists in the Premiership final against Leicester. He may have fallen foul of the referees and the RFU but there is no doubting his passion for the game and he has left Saracens in a much better state than he found it in.
"Saracens were Dewi's perennial underachievers but they are now serious contenders," said Stuart Barnes on The Rugby Club.
"He turned them around from a team that played pretty negative rugby but that was his vision at the start of the season. We all disagreed but what impressed me is that he turned that all around and they played some great rugby last season.
"Venter is a real idealist and he has a vision how the game should be played. It is one of the reasons why he gets so frustrated - especially with the referees because he thinks it is just not quite right. I think he has been a challenge to the establishment of the English game and I think we will miss Brendan Venter."
Dewi Morris agrees with Stuart and says his coaching credentials have grown considerably as he learnt and adapted with the club.
"He is passionate in what he does, we saw what he did for London Irish, how he played for them and how committed he was to their cause," added Dewi.
"He has evolved as a coach - as Stuart says there were negatives and then positives last season. Like Martin Johnson with England, Venter has learnt you have got to be honest and evolve as a team. Venter has done that but at the end of the day rugby is just a game and your family always comes first."
Will Greenwood says that Venter created a club ethos at Saracens - something that has been missing from for a long time.
"He inspired a shared vision for the whole club, he challenged processes; he bent noses and put things out of joint. He went after people and he was never afraid to do that. He was always the first to support his team and he has given them a real backbone.
"Saracens always had the ability to bring over some big names and play some pretty good one off games. But what Venter has done is make them a difficult team to beat and that is what they could not do for a decade before he turned up."
