Bulls boss Jake White has castigated his own fans for booing Saracens star Owen Farrell.
The Bulls downed Saracens 27-16 in Pretoria on Saturday, with the Men in Black slipping to a frustrating opening Champions Cup defeat.
Billy Vunipola was sent off for Mark McCall’s men, but England talisman Farrell was again subjected to crowd booing.
Farrell has taken a break from Test rugby to protect his and his family’s mental health, and has been roundly praised for the decisive step.
One of the key reasons for the 32-year-old stepping back was when he was booed by crowds at the World Cup in France.
And now the Bulls faithful at Loftus Versfeld have only exacerbated the problem, leaving ex-Springboks boss White apologetic.
“I am apologising for all the booing of Owen Farrell,” said White.
“It is not who we are. People have jumped on the Owen Farrell hate bandwagon, and I don’t understand the negativity at all.”
Farrell became England’s record points scorer at the World Cup, moving past Jonny Wilkinson. The 112-cap fly-half was also the tournament's top points scorer overall in France.
“He is an unbelievable player. What he has achieved in England is phenomenal,” said White.
“I am disappointed. I wanted people to enjoy the fact that they got to see him play. I must apologise. And we will address that.”
