High praise for Stormers' tight five
The Cape side scored three tries, with the Bulls getting none, to secure a bonus point which sent them to the top of Africa Conference One.
"The tight five did exceptionally well and the fact that we got Springboks on the bench that can come on and make a huge impact, makes a huge difference for us," said Fleck who was addressing reporters after the game.
"I think we were really smart – credit must go to Frans [Malherbe] and Schalk in terms of their leadership. We made good decisions when it came to scrum time in that second half and we really started to get that dominance.
"From a line-out perspective we are very happy. In terms of contesting I thought Eben [Etzebeth] was exceptional in the front.
"He put a lot of pressure on the Bulls. In the past we didn't contest as much as we should have so we are trying to create situations where we are competing."
The Stormers seemed to struggle in the scrums a bit at stages in the first half, however, Fleck feels the starting trio of Vincent Koch, Mbongeni Mbonambi and Oliver Kebble were at the wrong end of a few decisions.
"I thought the scrums were good from the beginning. I don't know if you guys know, but the assistant referees did not have any communication to the ref in the first half and that put Craig [Joubert] under pressure in terms of making decisions at the scrum.
"I felt the front row that started laid the platform for the rest of the guys and obviously Frans, Scarra [Siyabonga Ntubeni] and JC [Janse van Rensburg] came on and started to dominate – but that platform was laid already and we felt the momentum was coming our way," Fleck added.
Stormers flank Schalk Burger, who is in his final season with the Cape franchise, had a lot of praise for the youngsters in the pack.
"We are obviously a younger group, but I think we are very talented," said Burger.
"The first half we battled a bit. We wanted quick tempo and quick ball and credit to the Bulls because they put us under pressure.
"This is a good starting point for us. I think we can still improve and that is what we are aiming to do. None of us understands how the logs work and we will just take it week by week."
While the Stormers pack laid the foundation for victory, flyhalf Robert du Preez was undoubtedly the key man in terms' of turning that dominance into points.
The 23-year-old notched up 23 points with a try, three conversions and four penalties and Fleck feels he can only get better.
"He is young kid and we need to give him time. I thought he had a solid performance.
"He certainly stepped up. It is a big game to play as a No.10, especially a young No.10 and he did exceptionally well. I am really pleased for him. He is a good kid and he works hard on his game – he will build a lot of confidence from this game," said Fleck.
By Warren Fortune
@FortuneWarren
@rugby365com
