Chiliboy Ralepelle and Flip van der Merwe stated to referee Jaco Peyper they had been the victims of foul play during Saturday's Super 15 game, which the Bulls won 32-30.

Peyper used a white card to refer the incidents to the citing commissioner, although no video footage existed to support the allegations - including angles unavailable to television viewers.

Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder wanted the Bulls to apologise for making false claims, however, the club reacted angrily to request.

Ridiculous

"For (the Crusaders) to suggest we must now apologise just because there is no video evidence available would mean we have lied," said the club's high-performance and media manager Ian Schwarz.

"It is ridiculous to suggest that every time there is a citing and there is not enough evidence, the other team should apologise.

"It is a pity they have raised the matter through the media, as our doors of communication with them have always been open for a direct approach. We could have followed the official and appropriate channels."

Acceptance

Schwarz said the Bulls had acted correctly once its players had reported what they believed were eye-gouging attempts.

"The rules are clear and we applied them 100 per cent correctly," he continued. "We had the right to raise the matter with the referee and we accept the fact that there was no video evidence.

"I just want to say that our players' integrity is just as important to us as the Crusaders' players' integrity is to them. I feel the players will not make unfounded accusations."