A group of Maltese rugby players escaped unscathed from the annual running of the bulls in Spain’s San Fermin festival in Pamplona last week, which left 40 seriously injured.

“You’re running frantically down narrow streets and your pulse is rushing as the pack stampedes towards you. It’s exhilarating,” said Stomper team captain Sam Borg, who, with eight teammates, decided to take his life into his own hands and brave the Pamplona runs.

Second row forward John Ellul (circled) came within inches of a raging bull’s horns as it charged through the crowded streets of Pamplona. Photo: Reuters

The San Fermin bull runs, which honour the patron saint of the northern Spanish city, date back to the 16th century and attract thousands of thrill seekers who try to outpace the thrashing herd of 650-kilo Miura bulls.

Fifteen people have died since records began in 1924 but Mr Borg said risking bodily harm was nothing new for the Stompers crew.

“On the rugby pitch you put your life on the line and we thought that the runs are synonymous with that same kind of risk.

“We set out to do it if we reached our goals for this season and we did,” Mr Borg said, referring to the full honours Stompers won in this year’s three competitions.

Dozens of people are injured each year in the encierros, as the runs are called in Spanish. Most get hurt by tripping or falling in the frantic scramble along the 850-metre long route from the stables just outside Pamplona’s medieval stone wall to the central bullring.

“They run in a tightly knit pack but there’s always one at the end that feels vulnerable and is usually the most dangerous,” Mr Borg said.

A vulnerable “straggler” gored a 35-year-old Californian man in Saturday’s run, causing severe rectal perforation and the same bull skewered a 23-year-old Australian woman in the back, leading to internal bleeding and a punctured lung.

Among the Stomper team members was John Ellul, 25. The second row forward came within inches of a raging bull’s horns as it charged through the crowded streets.

“My first reaction was to get out of the way – from the horn that is.

“Then I pushed my way through the crowd as best I could and a sort of controlled panic took over,” Mr Ellul said.

The nationally televised, 8am runs are the highlight of the nine-day street party festival made world famous by the 1926 Ernest Hemingway novel, The Sun Also Rises.

The Miura bulls that take part each morning are invariably killed by matadors in the evening bull fights and their meat is served up in Pamplona’s many restaurants and tapas bars.

“We made a conscious decision not to attend the bullfights. We disagree with them on principle.

“The runs are a wonderful tradition and not cruel in the slightest,” Mr Borg said.

“It was a fantastic experience and we made it out safe. I think it brought us closer together as teammates and that will show on the field,” he added.