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Spies: The players have responded well

Pretoria - With the future of Bulls coach Frans Ludeke casting a cloud over the team's final match of the Super Rugby season against the Cheetahs, captain Pierre Spies believes the players have reacted well to the off-field pressures. 

"Not getting the results on the tour makes it a lot tougher to regain your positive mindset and all your energy in what you want to achieve," Spies said. 

"The players have responded well to it and we've stayed focused on the process and what we want to achieve. 

"We have one more game, whatever happens after that is a problem for later, but we're focused on the Cheetahs this weekend." 

The Bulls returned from a dismal tour of Australasia suffering their second consecutive whitewash in two seasons and missing out on a playoff spot. 

Ludeke, who has been at the helm of the Pretoria franchise for the last eight years, coached the team to consecutive Super Rugby titles in 2009 and 2010. 

He is the most experienced Super Rugby coach taking charge of his 149th match on Saturday and is still contracted until October 2016. 

The Bulls mentor's fate will be determined at Friday's board meeting and it is rumoured that he could be promoted to Director of Rugby. 

Ludeke had met with chief executive Barend van Graan and new Blue Bulls president Gert Wessels during the week which he said had been positive. 

"I've had positive meetings, transparent and there are no final decisions, the board meeting is tomorrow, so after tomorrow everyone will know what the plan is going forward," Ludeke said. 

"I will be there and as head coach you always give a review of the competition, if there are questions in terms of the team's performance then you prepare. 

"Part of that is looking at the way forward no matter what decisions are made and that has always been the process." 

It is, however, unlikely that the Bulls would be making any official announcements on decisions made in Friday's meeting as they would like to keep distractions to a minimum ahead of Saturday's match. 

Ludeke said the team would be looking to finish their campaign on a high after the tour of the Antipodes effectively ended their playoff hopes. 

"Not getting the results on the tour cost us for the second season in a row," he said. 

"We put that behind us and we have one game left and that is the focus to make sure we finish on a high. 

"We are playing a side that are in the same position as us and they play with a lot of freedom so we would also like to go into the match with an attacking mindset. 

"How they (the Cheetahs) will play on Saturday, only time will tell, but we are prepared for 80 minutes and will be positive and desperate to finish the season on a high."

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