A Super League game in France descended into chaos when a raging bull broke free of its handler and charged down the Stade Gilbert Brutus field while players were warming up on the pitch.
Catalans Dragons players were going through their pre-game drills before their home clash with the reigning Super League champions, St Helens, when the bull broke free from its handlers as it was being paraded around the field.
The home team were wearing red warm-up tops, giving the bull extra motivation.
The bull had been on parade around the field to highlight the quality of beef in the Pyrénées-Orientales region of France when it channelled Greg Inglis to break free and thunder downfield. Dragons players were forced to leap out of the way, with some climbing into the crowd to get away from the rampaging bovine.
Spooked by the massive crowd (and perhaps incensed at being paraded as a meat product), the horned behemoth dragged one of its pursuers several metres before galloping its way into the in-goal area and eventually slowing down, allowing its embarrassed handlers to regain control.
The Catalans owner, Bernard Guasch, is the owner of a local meat-processing plant, and it was his idea to allow the bulls onto the field before the match. The cross-branding exercise intended as pre-game entertainment almost descended into catastrophe.
Guasch had arranged for “three prize-winning bulls, as well as two cows from the same Gascon breed” to “perform a lap of honour during the warm-up” according to a club statement before the game. But things quickly got out of control.
Thankfully, the bull was recovered with no damage done and the game began as planned. Catalans eventually won the clash 24-12 over the defending champions.
