Coach lauds Bulls' character

Johannesburg - Blue Bulls coach Pine Pienaar commended his team for their character in their 33-30 victory over the Free State Cheetahs at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

After trailing 6-17 at the break, the Bulls fought back strongly to win by three-points.

"One thing that can't be coached is the character which they have shown," said Pienaar.

"It was a team effort and everyone showed commitment to pull off a win and it's something we needed as a team."

While the Bulls coach revered his team's success, Cheetahs coach Naka Drotské lambasted his team for letting the victory slip through their fingers.

"I think we had the game in the bag and threw it away," said Drotské.

"What we decided at half-time and then did in the second half was the exact the opposite."

Drotské said his team played too much in their own half and when they were in the Bulls' half of the field, they kicked away too much possession.

At times it looked like the Bulls were going to lose their second game of the season, but they showed resilience to claw their way back into the lead.

Pienaar said the Bulls forced too many passes which gave the Cheetahs a lot of turnover ball.

"Gary [Botha, Bulls captain] mentioned at half-time that we needed to look after the ball better, and that is what we did in the second half," he said.

Pienaar said he was satisfied with the win but felt his team still had a lot of work ahead of them.

Botha said their set-phase play had improved from the first round match against the Sharks and his team kept their cool at certain times in the match.