- An angry bull galloped and rushed across the field in a bewildering accident
- The animals were in a lap of honor ahead of the Catalan Dragons rugby union match
- But one of them momentarily escaped and ran in disarray, with the players running away at a high speed
The Catalan Dragons rugby league players are forced to take cover after a freak accident engulfs a bull.
France’s Catalans Dragons hosted England’s St. Helens at Stade Gilbert Brutus in Perpignan, southern France, in an English Premier League match on Friday night.
Three huge bulls paraded around the stadium in a pre-match honor roll meant to “celebrate the quality of beef in the region,” an idea dreamed up by Catalan owner Bernard Guach, head of a local meat processing company.
But stunning footage shared on social media shows one of the bulls quivering from its handler, dragging the hapless man to the ground, before lunging into the field.
The players warming up on the pitch – many of them in red training jerseys – quickly abandoned their drills and scattered for cover, throwing balls behind them and scrambling for a run.
Eventually, the animal moved to the side of the field and slowed down enough that someone could hold onto it while the singer sang on the intercom.
No damage was done other than a soaring pride and an elevated heart rate, and the match ultimately went as planned.
The hosts prevailed 24-12 in a rematch of the 2021 Grand Final, and the French side are now fourth in the table after the win, ending a streak of three straight matches.
The Dragons noted before the game that “three prize bulls, as well as two Gascon cows, will perform a lap of honor during the warm-up.”
Fans quickly took to social media to express their shock at the incident.
“A player from Impact Hell for bringing #tactics,” one joked, while another added, “I found this really funny for some reason.”
Another simply tweeted: “Welcome to rugby league,” while another continued: “Who would have thought that would be such a good idea,” followed by a laughing emoji.
And he concluded with a fifth sarcasm: How do you get more people to watch rugby league? Let’s drop a bull on the field and make the players run for their lives.
