Publications
Partners
Cape Town - Bulls coach Frans Ludeke says his side showed great character after they turned a 14-0 half-time deficit into an almost winning scenario.
The Stormers looked to be coasting at the break, dominating their Pretoria rivals up front, but the three-time champions dug deep to fight back in a hostile environment.
The scores were level at 17-all with four minutes left before Stormers flyhalf Peter Grant slotted a penalty to give the home side the bragging rights.
But despite the defeat at the hands of their arch-rivals, the Bulls coach remained upbeat.
"The difference was that one penalty at the end where our discipline let us down.
"It was a good clash. We fought back well. One or two decisions in the second half brought us back into the game.
"I'm satisfied with the commitment we played with. We showed real character in the second half," Ludeke told Die Burger.
Ludeke did, however, acknowledge that the Stormers deserved their win.
"We had a lot of chances in the first half that we didn't take, but all credit to the Stormers. They defended really well and we made mistakes. The Stormers were better than us in the first half.
"The Stormers used their chance with that penalty at the death. It's small things that cost you a match when the pressure is on," said Ludeke.
In this weekend's Round 7 action, the Stormers travel to Dunedin to face the Highlanders, while the Bulls host the Crusaders in Pretoria.
The Stormers looked to be coasting at the break, dominating their Pretoria rivals up front, but the three-time champions dug deep to fight back in a hostile environment.
The scores were level at 17-all with four minutes left before Stormers flyhalf Peter Grant slotted a penalty to give the home side the bragging rights.
But despite the defeat at the hands of their arch-rivals, the Bulls coach remained upbeat.
"The difference was that one penalty at the end where our discipline let us down.
"It was a good clash. We fought back well. One or two decisions in the second half brought us back into the game.
"I'm satisfied with the commitment we played with. We showed real character in the second half," Ludeke told Die Burger.
Ludeke did, however, acknowledge that the Stormers deserved their win.
"We had a lot of chances in the first half that we didn't take, but all credit to the Stormers. They defended really well and we made mistakes. The Stormers were better than us in the first half.
"The Stormers used their chance with that penalty at the death. It's small things that cost you a match when the pressure is on," said Ludeke.
In this weekend's Round 7 action, the Stormers travel to Dunedin to face the Highlanders, while the Bulls host the Crusaders in Pretoria.
