Pirates boss Ouaddou slams Durban City tactics after touchline brawl

Orlando Pirates’ derailed title charge erupted into chaotic scenes on Saturday afternoon as head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou clashed with opposition staff following a frustrating 0-0 draw against Durban City FC.

The stalemate at the Orlando Amstel Stadium was a catastrophic blow to the Buccaneers’ championship ambitions. A victory would have propelled them past Mamelodi Sundowns to the top of the Betway Premiership table on goal difference. Instead, the dropped points leave the Soweto giants trailing by two points, sending the title race into a final-day thriller against Orbit College on May 23.

As the final whistle blew, the immense pressure of the afternoon boiled over into a heated touchline altercation. Ouaddou, who spent the final minutes of the match visibly enraged, later revealed that a dangerous challenge on goalkeeper Sipho Chaine triggered his furious reaction. biznow.biz

Pirates coach Ouaddou vents fury over Chaine tackle

The former Moroccan international defender pulled no punches in his post-match press conference, accusing the visitors of crossing the line from aggressive football into malicious intent.

“There is a difference between playing strong with physicality on the ball and trying to break the players,” a scathing Ouaddou told reporters. “This is not the mentality and never will be mine—first as an educator, before being a coach.”

Ouaddou revealed his fuse was already short following the recent loss of Bafana Bafana winger Tshepang Moremi, who was sidelined for two matches after a bruising Soweto Derby. With his squad picks wearing thin at the worst possible time, the Sea Robbers’ boss stated he will not tolerate his players being targeted.

“We need to protect the players. If someone cannot protect them in the middle of the pitch, then I must protect them. We have to be an example; football has to be a bridge and a model for the next generation,” added the Pirates coaach.

Peace restored, but Dladla left clueless

While the confrontation threatened to overshadow the match, Pirates mentor Ouaddou confirmed that water had been put on the fire after a private conversation with Durban City head coach Pitso Dladla.

“We had a chat at the end, and everything is okay. He understands me, and he just apologised. I congratulated him for the good game they did,” the Pirates man conceded.

Interestingly, Dladla claimed to be the only man in the stadium who missed the fireworks, stating he was completely oblivious to the brawl developing right behind his back.

“To be honest, I was concentrating on giving instructions to one player, and when I turned, I just saw there was a commotion,” Dladla admitted. “Even now, I still need to ask what was really happening there.”

Coach Johan Ackermann says the Vodacom Bulls have to improve their decision-making and execution ahead of the URC quarter-finals.

The Bulls will host Munster on 30 May after beating Benetton 45-19 at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

“There’s still a lot of work to be done,” Ackermann said. “There were soft moments and small mistakes that compounded pressure on ourselves. Those are the things we have to fix.”

REPORT: Bulls book home quarter-final

Ackermann highlighted the Bulls’ execution on attack as a key focus area before facing the 2022-23 URC champions.

“It’s our general skill, finishing and decision-making that we have to focus on.

“You don’t want to give away 14 points through soft moments and poor decision-making,” Ackermann said of a sequence of play where the Bulls went from almost scoring to conceding.

“That’s the part we have to fix because if there’s more pressure on the game, like in a knockout match, it becomes very difficult to recover momentum.

ALSO: Bulls star to undergo scan

“Myself and [assistant coach] Neil [de Bruin] want the players to have a go and we’ll never fault a player for trying. But you must make sure you execute. It’s all about execution.

“There were moments where we had four against two, or three against one, and then we kicked instead of passing. Then there were other situations where maybe we should have kicked.

“Those decisions and the execution around them are the areas we need to improve.”

READ: URC quarter-final lineup confirmed

The Bulls have a week’s break before the quarter-final due to the EPCR finals, with several players set to attend the Springbok alignment camp.

“It’s always nice to play at home and hopefully we can use that to our advantage,” Ackermann said.

“Munster are a quality side with a lot of good internationals. We know we’ll have to lift our standards.”

Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images

The post Ackers: Bulls must be much sharper on attack appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

During Munster’s United Rugby Championship (URC) clash against the Lions at Thomond Park, a major flashpoint occurred around the hour mark when Munster hooker Diarmuid Barron alleged he was spat at by an opponent.

Barron didn’t identify which Lions player he was referring to, but play was halted in the 63rd minute as referee Andrea Piardi was alerted to the accusation

Piardi paused the match to consult with Television Match Official (TMO) Stefano Penne, giving him time to review available broadcast angles to see if any definitive footage could confirm the incident, but nothing could be found.

The referee subsequently spoke to both captains, noting that while play would resume, the allegation could still be formally investigated by the citing commissioner post-match.

Ultimately, the game concluded with Munster securing a hard-fought 24–17 victory to book a quarter-final spot against the Bulls.

The incident that led to Diarmuid Barron alleging he was spat at by a Lions player

Happens just off camera, but the Munster player makes the claim right away pic.twitter.com/xXjyYQkrJD

— Rúaidhrí O'Connor (@RuaidhriOC) May 16, 2026

What was said about this incident in the Lions-Munster game?

After the conclusion of the match, Munster head coach Clayton McMillan bsaid he had no reason to doubt Barron’s claim.

“Ah look, he’s been around a long time and we’re not a team that plays silly buggers, so you’d imagine he felt or he saw what he saw,” McMillan said.

“We only have three or four angles available to us. I’m sure others might have a look at it but that’s not our job to do now. Other people will have a look and if there’s something there to see, then they’ll deal with it, and if there isn’t, then we’ll move forward.

“But in terms of Diarmuid’s integrity, that’s not in question.”

Munster captain Craig Casey also took the side of his teammate.

“To reiterate what Clayton said, I think Barronsy is a very honest bloke in everything he does, so I would take his word for everything.

“I haven’t seen it live, I haven’t seen it on replay or anything like that, so can’t really comment, but I trust Barronsy with everything I own.”

what could happen next?

The matter now rests on whether the citing commissioner can unearth further footage or evidence to determine if formal charges will be brought against the unnamed Lions player.

This incident will bring flashbacks of another incident late last year when Bulls and Springbok front-rower Jan-Hendrik Wessels was handed a lengthy suspension following a United Rugby Championship (URC) fixture against Connacht.

In that incident, Connacht flanker Josh Murphy alleged that Wessels had grabbing and twisted his genitals.

It ultimately led to a disciplinary review, and despite the absolute absence of irrefutable visual or medical proof, and despite Wessels maintaining his innocence, the independent judicial panel sided entirely with the accuser’s testimony.

Wessels was handed a severe nine-week ban – later reduced to eight on appeal – which ruled him out for the remainder of the year and forced him to miss the Springboks’ European tour.

The ruling set a highly debated precedent in the tournament, effectively shifting the burden of proof onto the accused player to disprove an unseen allegation.