No place like home for Bulls
Bulls coach Frans Ludeke was a relieved man after his side got back to winning ways with victory over the Cheetahs in Pretoria.
The Bulls suffered three successive defeats on tour, including two narrow defeats in Australia, before returning to Loftus Versfeld where they edged the Cheetahs 26-20 to record their first Super Rugby victory since they beat the Blues in their first week on tour.
"For tonight, we'll just take the win," Ludeke said after the game.
"We've been chasing a win for the last three weeks. It was so close and tonight we did what we had to do.
"But credit to the Cheetahs. They are a good team, and it was a very important win for us.
"This was a big result and I think my players knew there was a lot at stake."
Replacement hooker Callie Visagie scored a late try to lift the Bulls to a nervy victory, ending a superb five-match winning streak for the Cheetahs.
Tries from Visagie and scrumhalf Jano Vermaak cancelled the Cheetahs' only try from prop Victor Nyakane, guiding the hosts to their fourth win of the Super Rugby campaign, which Ludeke believed boded well for the rest of the competition.
"It's a good platform for the rest of the season," he said. "Nine matches remain, so a whole season still lies ahead and that's why it was important just to get the wheels moving again.
"We saw good signs and we put plenty of pressure on them. They held us off but we threatened a few times to score."
Ludeke was pleased with his side's set-piece play, particularly their scrums, which was pointed out ahead of the game as a vital aspect for the Bulls against a strong Cheetahs pack.
"We're happy with our scrums. It was a big focal point for us the whole week. We worked hard on our scrums and tonight they really worked," he added.
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