Bulls boss Jake White defends Owen Farrell after Loftus boos

The England captain was in action for Saracens as they faced the South African side in their Champions Cup opener in Pretoria.

Farrell was not well received by the locals, who booed him throughout the match despite the issues he has been facing over the past year.

The 32-year-old announced recently that he would be stepping back from international rugby to protect his and his family's mental health.

That came after he was booed throughout the Rugby World Cup, even by England supporters, while he has also been a regular target for trolls on social media.

Bulls head coach Jake White apologised immediately after the match for the actions of his fans.

"Just to separate it, I don't mind a little bit of booing of opposition players when their names are announced and a bit of sporting hostility - a bit of pretend sporting hatred. I don't mind that," he said on ITV Sport.

"But you've all got phones, you all read the internet, you all know that he's struggling and he's stepped back. If there's a time to have a day off, that's your time to have a day off."

Farrell is highly regarded by his peers but does not appear to have the same respect from the supporters, both in terms of his character and overall playing ability.

Former England prop and current pundit David Flatman has urged fans to listen to the opinions of those who play both with him and against him, and who rate the playmaker as one of the best in the world.

"All the people that are sending him abuse on social media and are booing him, they will have players that they idolise that they think are great and whose opinions they think are valid," he said.

"You ask those players who the best players are they play against, play with, the players they would most quite like to have in their team. Owen Farrell will be in most of their heroes' top three, or top five at least, he's that good.

"The reality is that social media is largely unregulated and there are people receiving a lot of abuse all over the place. There's a lot of great stuff on there, it's very handy for some things, but unfortunately that is set to continue.

"To be honest, I just hope he's alright because he's a great bloke."

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