Vodacom Super Rugby
Ludeke credits 'patient' Bulls
2012-03-25 16:58
Johannesburg - Bulls coach Frans Ludeke was elated with the patience his side displayed in their rampant 61-8 pounding of the Reds in a Super Rugby match in Pretoria on Saturday.
The team was pure class as they ran in eight tries against the defending Super Rugby champions - with seven scored in the second period after having persistently turned up the pressure in the opening half.
"It is quite satisfying to see that if you build pressure in the first half and you might not get the rewards," said Ludeke.
"That patience in the second half and even the last 15 minutes when the impact players came on they played with the same intensity."
The coach praised his men after having created scoring opportunities by continuously building pressure.
"The maul operated well, and as soon we got the rhythm on the gain line, we created that momentum," Ludeke said.
"It was good to see guys finishing off opportunities. Credit to the players.
"There were a lot of numbers on their feet and we got a lot of phase play options to create that line breaks, and the guys made their first time tackles behind the gain line."
It was anticipated that the Bulls’ dogged determination would result in a Reds collapse which came shortly after the half-time break.
Bulls captain and Man of the match Pierre Spies said they did not expect the tourists to cave in, but had focused on piling on the pressure.
"I don’t really think the wall was going to break, I just felt we had the momentum when we carried the ball," said Spies.
"We created a good lead in the first half, in the second we just kept going and the result came.
"We had one or two penalties that kept them in the game in the first half, and obviously the (first half) scrums were the big question mark.
"The second half was much better and you have to adapt to what happens in the game."
While the Bulls were ruthless on the night, Spies demonstrated a compassionate side towards the Reds.
"It just wasn’t their night tonight, everything came together for us, so I feel sorry for them but that is the way the competition goes," he said.
"We were firing, they weren’t and the result came our way."
The team will hope for a consistent display when they meet the South African log-leading Stormers next week in Cape Town.
While the competition is still in its early days, the Bulls exhibited a clinical temperament that should make them serious title contenders.
"We will take this result any day and are satisfied when things do come together as a team. We will take the momentum and confidence out of this performance," Spies said.