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'Sorry for not responding sooner' - Bulls and Stormers go at it on social

04 Apr 2022

Stormers' Salmaan Moerat (2nd L) and Bulls' Trevor Nyakane (C) confronts each other during the fourth round match in the South African Super Rugby Unlocked competition between the Vodacom Bulls and the DHL Stormers at Loftus Versfeld stadium in Pretoria (Photo by CHRISTIAAN KOTZE/AFP via Getty Images)

Shots have been fired between the Stormers and the Bulls on social media ahead of their huge United Rugby Championship clash at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.

The Capetonians started the war of words on Sunday by asking if the Pretoria side is making any more “motivational videos” ahead of Saturday’s clash.

This was in reference to a video the Bulls produced ahead of a clash between the two teams in Pretoria in January. The one minute 23-second clip showed three “recovering Stormers fans” deciding to support the Bulls in the build-up to that January 22 match.

The Grand Slam Enforcer | Paul Willemse | Le French Rugby Podcast

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The Grand Slam Enforcer | Paul Willemse | Le French Rugby Podcast

Another week, another Grand Slam winner… France enforcer Paul Willemse joins us to discuss his role as the only out-and-out second row in the team, the specialist coaching expertise and how it all comes together, the Shaun Edwards effect, his journey from budding Springbok to French hero and how he was completely ignored by the SARU, the struggle to fit into the national team at first, the honour of captaining Montpellier for the first time at the weekend and much more. Plus, we chat about Sergio Parisse playing until he’s 40 and bowing out at the 2023 World Cup, Toulouse’s quintet of Grand Slam winning replacements and how they could accommodate Jaminet, Capuozzo and Ramos next season and we pick our MEATER Moment of the Week…
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The Stormers eventually won that match 30-26.

In response to Sunday’s tweet, the Bulls savagely responded by saying: “Sorry for not responding sooner, we were still recovering from our unassisted win over Ulster.”

Before the Bulls’ 34-16 win over the Irish giants, the Stormers beat Ulster 23-20 a week earlier in controversial circumstances.

The Irish side had a legitimate try disallowed with less than two minutes left on the clock.

Sorry for not responding sooner, we were still recovering from our unassisted win over Ulster. But, yes you can count on us for a video ? https://t.co/KXxHPLtWz5
— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) April 4, 2022

It’s an interesting response from the Bulls, not least because there was a controversial call in their win over Ulster. Ulster Kieran Treadwell yellow carded for a high tackle on fullback Kurt-Lee Arendse, a call former Ireland flanker Stephen Ferris branded a joke.

“It’s an absolute joke. It’s a complete joke… you cannot freeze frame it,” Ferris explained on Premier Sports.

“Kieran Treadwell hits the ball with his shoulder. When he hits the ball with the shoulder, there is a little bit of head movement. You can clearly see, it’s on the ball.

“If anything, his face brushes the jersey. There is no direct impact to the head, none whatsoever. “You can freeze frame all you want, but play it in real time. For me, that isn’t even a penalty.”

At the time the Bulls held a four point lead at 20-16 with a quarter of the game to go with both sides still in the game but the yellow card swayed the match in the home side’s favour, with the Bulls scoring shortly afterward against a 14-man Ulster side.

Here’s the Bull’s brilliant video aimed at the Stormers in January.

Time to rev up the banter before the North/South derby ? life's too serious, laugh a little ?? pic.twitter.com/jlGokIlAdf
— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) January 20, 2022

One thing is clear, South African URC franchise accounts don’t pull their punches.