Robert Kitson offers his take on Saracens coach Brendan Venter's bizarre post-match interview in The Guardian.
"Voltaire never actually wrote the phrase most frequently attributed to him. Apparently his famous mantra - "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it" - simply paraphrased a passage in his Essay on Tolerance, specifically the key line: "Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so too." How ironic that a man who best defined the concept of freedom of speech should end up being misquoted.
"At least his memory lives on, courtesy this week of a rugby coach whose name also starts with a V. For those who did not see it, Brendan Venter's post-match interview on Sky following Saracens's defeat to Racing Metro on Saturday is worth studying. This is what happens when an intelligent man tries to be a bit too clever and attempts to expose the stupidity of others without realising he is actually making an idiot of himself. The fact Venter had a point when he delivered his original rant about refereeing consistency in Europe back in October was rather lost on those who simply saw a man in need of urgent psychological help."
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