The coach of the Vodacom Bulls, Frans Ludeke, is satisfied with his team’s performance against the Lions in Polokwane  and he is delighted that they did not pick up any injuries.

“We played well at stages and I would say it was a good start to our campaign.

“You do not get any points for a game like this, but psychologically it is always valuable to get a win under the belt and it certainly does create a lot of momentum and positive energy in the team.”

Ludeke said the Bulls were strong in the set pieces and he added that Gary Botha was particularly impressive in the scrums and in the tight loose.

“It is very nice to have Gary back, but all the players did what we expected of them and we can definitely build on tonight’s performance.”

The Bulls’ backline coach Pieter Rossouw said the team adapted  to the new break down laws and he was satisfied with the way some of the younger players performed.

“We worked really hard at certain aspects of our game and it was great to see that the guys did what we practised during training.

“Jacques-Louis Potgieter had a good outing at inside centre and I would say that apart from solid performances by the senior Boks, youngsters such as Stephan Dippenaar, Stefan Watermeyer, Sampie Mastriet and Clayton Blommetjies put up their hands.

“On the whole it was a grand victory and we are very positive about the season that lies ahead.”

The Bulls will not play any other warm-up matches and they will immediately shift their attention to their opening match against the Vodacom Cheetahs that is going to take place in Bloemfontein on Friday the 12th of February.

Polokwane –

Bulls coach Frans Ludeke has praised loose forward Pedrie Wannenburg for his performance in their training match against the Lions at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday.

Wannenburg, who recently admitted to drugs and alcohol-related problems, was one of several Bulls players that excelled in their respective victories of 25-3 and 42-12 over the Lions.

“I think Pedrie performed really well. A number of players grabbed their chances and I am satisfied,” said Ludeke.

He admits the consistency in his selections in recent years has helped.

“We’ll still have to look at keeping the ball in contact, as well as our set phases. We still have a lot off work to do,” said Ludeke.

With Pierre Spies ruled out by injury, Wannenburg grabbed his opportunity to play in the main game.

Even though it was their first outing of the season, the Bulls did not make many mistakes.

Fullback Zane Kirchner was their best player, but the halfback pairing of Fourie du Preez and Morné Steyn performed at their usual high standard.

Kirchner played a major part in crafting one of wing Gerhard van den Heever’s two tries and the Springbok fullback’s positional play was also impressive.

Gary Botha’s return in a Bulls jersey was also a highlight.

The expectation was that the Lions, who picked genuine trial teams, would have a better chance in the curtain-raiser.

However, fullback Tiger Mangweni, centre Stefan Watermeyer, No 8 Dries van Schalkwyk, lock Wilhelm Steenkamp and scrumhalf Ruan Snyman excelled for the Bulls.

“I’m really glad that some of the players got the opportunity to show what they could do. And to play in the new Peter Mokaba Stadium was almost like Loftus Versfeld. It’s a world class stadium capable of hosting a number of sporting codes,” said Ludeke.

Jacques-Louis Potgieter, who played at inside centre for the Bulls in the main game, took a knock to his upper leg. However, he should recover quickly.

Ludeke also praised referees Jaco Peyper and Marius Jonker. They applied the laws strictly and Jonker allowed the game to flow in the main game.

Pieter Jordaan