Cape Town – Not only did the Bulls lose their 24-match unbeaten streak on Jake White’s watch at Loftus Versfeld, they also had egg on their face for a pre-match video after the Stormers pulled off a thrilling 30-26 United Rugby Championship victory on Saturday night.
The Bulls’ banter video spoke about three “recovering Stormers fans” who have had to deal with the humiliation of supporting the Cape side, who have had a rough time of it on and off the field over the last few years.
ALSO READ: WATCH: Bulls banter about ‘Stormers Fan Syndrome’ ahead of Loftus showdown
The three fans said that they were “living a lie” and “feeling hopeless”, but that the Bulls had brought their smiles back after the Pretoria side won two consecutive Currie Cup titles.
The Bulls marketing team laid it on thick as they spoke about the “Stormers Fan Syndrome”, and how the Capetonians had “an empty trophy cabinet”.
ALSO READ: Paul de Wet breaks Bulls’ hearts as Stormers pull off URC bonus-point win
But it all backfired on Saturday night, as coach John Dobson’s team savoured a famous bonus-point triumph after Paul de Wet’s late try sealed a remarkable win.
“I was grateful that the video was doing the rounds, because we played it in the team room last night. I didn’t speak to the team before the game – I think they made a decision …” Dobson smiled after the match.
“Hopefully there are some recovering Stormers fans from a hangover! Look, in the context of that video, I do think anything that creates interest in rugby... it was funny, and well done. But it did help our players a little bit.”
Bulls coach Jake White understandably didn’t have much to say when quizzed about the video in the post-match press conference: “I didn’t see the video. We don’t watch the videos. There are a lot of videos that go out that we are not privy to. I really don’t believe that any video influences the way you play 80 minutes in a game at Loftus…”
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