Bulls to run it on the road

 

The Pretoria side scored four tries in a thrilling 35-33 victory over their Gauteng rivals at Loftus Versfeld, which saw them move to the top of the South African conference ahead of their tour which will see them take on the Blues, Chiefs, Brumbies and Rebels before finishing their season with a clash against the Cheetahs.

 

Coach Frans Ludeke took great encouragement from the way his side ran the ball in the first half and the determination they showed to close the game out against a resurgent Lions side.

 

The victory was vital to their hopes of making the play-offs this year, and Ludeke said that they will look to build on the performance on tour.

 

"It was a crucial result for us to keep our campaign alive, we have worked hard on that attacking mindset and tonight it paid off for us.

 

"We have been working hard the whole season on shapes and making good decisions and getting players up on their feet and in good positions, it couldn't come at a better time.

 

"There is a lot of work to be done on the tour but we are positive, things are going well for us on attack and if we can keep that up on tour it will be good," he said.

 

Captain on the night Victor Matfield said that the key on tour will be to take the game to the opposition.

 

"The one thing is you need to go and play rugby there, you can't go into a negative mindset. A lot of the time that is what happens and you are almost your own worst enemy.

 

"We are going to be positive, we are going to go out there and play some good attacking rugby and hopefully the results will come our way.

 

"A lot of people say that South African teams only drive and kick, but tonight we saw that we can play with the ball in hand and attack with width," he said.

 

Matfield was also very happy with the fighting spirit his side showed under pressure against the Lions, which is something they will need in abundance on tour.

 

"In the second half we made a few mistakes and were really under pressure. I think the guys showed some great character and stuck to their guns so it is great for us as a team to fight back under pressure and get the win.

 

"We have still got dreams in this competition and the guys stood up and came back and played with a lot of heart so we are very happy with the character and will to win.

 

"What we have seen this year is that there are quite a few South African teams that have won overseas so we just need to go and take it week for week," added Matfield.