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Spies lauds Matfield's impact

Cape Town - Bulls captain Pierre Spies says Victor Matfield's presence as lineout coach plays a big part in their success in that department.

The Bulls lineout was again top notch in their 30-25 win over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

"You have to put pressure on your opponents many different areas. The lineout was on Saturday an area where things worked really well," Spies told the Beeld website.

"Sometimes it doesn't work. (But) credit to our guys. They're working well as a unit and are putting a lot of time and effort into keeping the standard of our lineout high.

"And obviously Victor Matfield's hand in all of that helps a lot," continued Spies.

While the Bulls lineout seems to be going from strength to strength, one area of concern is the scrum.

"We struggled in the scrums and will take it on the chin," said coach Frans Ludeke. "We will keep working hard because we have to improve it. You need a good platform from there (the scrum)."

With their victory on Saturday the Bulls pulled clear in the South African conference. They now lead the Cheetahs by eight points with three matches remaining. They also only trail the Chiefs by two points on the overall log.

Their next match is at home to the Kings on June 29, before concluding their round robin phase against the Sharks (home, July 6) and Stormers (away, July 13).

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