Stormers deserved to win, say Bulls

Bulls coach Frans Ludeke and captain Pierre Spies believe that the Stormers deserved to win their fiercely contested South African derby match at Newlands on Saturday.

Speaking after the Stormers had edged the physically intense match 20-17 in front of 47,203 spectators, the Bulls coach and captain praised their players for fighting back from the home team's 14-0 half-time lead, but in the end the comeback was not enough to earn them a win.

"We showed a lot of character. Credit to Pierre and the players. It was a massive effort and we clawed our way back into the game." said Ludeke.

"It's a pity to lose a game to a penalty here and there," he added, "especially at scrum time, so we need to be more accurate there."

"It was a good contest. The Stormers deserved at the end of the day to win it," the coach believed.

"We had our opportunities. Even in that a second half there were some late opportunities we didn't take."

Asked what had been said in the changing-room at half-time to spark the strong second-half comeback, Ludeke explained: "It was a lot of cool heads. Everyone said the same thing. It was about accuracy, about the gain-line. We got beaten on the gain-line in the first half and we wanted to be smarter and more patient."

Having lost some senior players after last season was not an issue on which the Bulls were dwelling.

"No excuses; we've put the past behind us," Ludeke emphasised.

"Some guys showed character today [Saturday]. We've won some great games. This was a huge contest; we came second but we take lessons from this. We've got to move forward," he concluded.

Bulls' captain Pierre Spies was equally gracious in defeat, commenting: "The Stormers' intensity definitely caught us unaware in the first half. They converted their pressure into points.

"Credit to them for doing that. They came out firing in the first half and that made it difficult for us to come back in the second half.

"We should have converted our opportunities better, but credit to the Stormers. They deserved to win."

The skipper continued: "The Stormers' defence really put us under pressure in the first half and we couldn't get any momentum when we attacked.

"In the second half we gained some momentum. We held onto the ball better and were more accurate. Then we converted our pressure into points."

He had also been happy with his players' drawing level at 17-17 after their first half deficit.

"We knew it was going to be a tough game and I'm proud of our team coming out in the second half 14-0 down, away from home, and we could've won it in the end."

By Len Kaplan at Newlands