Simple equation for Bulls

 

Having gone down to the Stormers at Newlands on Saturday night, the Pretoria outfit now face a tough scrap to play knock-out rugby this season with their Australasian tour featuring matches against the Blues, Chiefs, Brumbies and Rebels still to come.

 

Frans Ludeke's team lost all four of their games on their overseas tour last season, and if they do manage to win some away games and make the play-offs it seems likely that they will have to travel some more.

 

Ludeke said that the narrow defeat to the Stormers had simplified the equation for his team, starting with their last game at home before the tour against the Lions next week.

 

"It is actually easy, we need to go and win away on tour. Obviously first of all we have to get back on the horse against the Lions at home.

 

"The tour will look after itself, if you look forward it is vital and you definitely know that it is going to be crucial.

 

"We have got a different finish from all the other seasons with four away games, but we are looking forward to it," he said.

 

The Bulls coach said that while he was frustrated with the inconsistencies at scrum-time, he was encouraged by the way his side were able to put the Stormers' line-out under pressure and credited 'technician' Victor Matfield for his input.

 

"We will definitely have a look at ourselves (scrums), I thought there were times that we were offsides with the referee and there were times where we needed the reward and didn't get it.

 

"All you want is consistency in decision-making and I thought at the end we had them under huge pressure but they were standiing up and folding in and hands on the ground, but that is the nature of the game and you must take that as well.

 

"The pressure we applied at the line-out gave us some field position and we just needed to convert that into chances to score.

 

"They are working as a unit and really starting to apply some pressure there, it is satisfying," he said.

 

Bulls captain Pierre Spies said that with his side finishing stronger the charge down of Handre Pollard's last-minute drop-goal attempt had been particularly tough to swallow.

 

"I think if he put it over it would have been great, but if we look at it now if we hald held on to the ball for a few more phases I thought we could have gotten away with a penalty somewhere or we might have gotten a try.

 

"Those are the chances in a game and obviously the Stormers have a good defence but I thought we put them under pressure when we ran at them," he said.