Frans Ludeke felt Victor Matfield and Fourie du Preez played crucial roles in helping the Bulls retain their Super 14 title.
Burger hopes Stormers can bounce back from final defeat
Frans Ludeke praised Victor Matfield and Fourie du Preez after they helped the Bulls defend their Super 14 title with victory over the Stormers.
Morne Steyn's 20-point haul secured a 27-17 win for the reigning champions, who playing in the unfamiliar surroundings of the Orlando Stadium in Soweto.
But while fly-half Steyn might have booted the Bulls to glory, Ludeke was quick to pick out the efforts of two other Springboks.
"I must make a special mention of Victor Matfield and Fourie du Preez," the Bulls coach said. "Those two players, for Bulls rugby, they're really special guys.
"Their rugby intelligence and the way they lead from the front is amazing. It's great to have them there and hopefully we can keep them for many years."
Important start
Francois Hougaard scored the only try for the Bulls. In contrast the Stormers crossed the line twice, through Bryan Habana and Ricky Januarie.
However the result was set up by an initial onslaught from the Bulls that saw them go 16-0 up inside the opening 25 minutes.
"The start we had was really important. Obviously those high balls worked nicely in the beginning," Ludeke added.
"There were some turnovers and the guys capitalised on that. The second half Bryan almost turned the game on its head, but the guys kept their cool and in the end we won."
Captain Matfield hailed an "awesome day", not just for his side - who have now been crowned champions three times in the past four years - but also for the country of South Africa as a whole.
"I'd like to thank all our fans for coming out here from Pretoria and everyone in Soweto who supported us, it's an awesome day. It's a great day for our country and a special one for us," he said.
"I'm not sure about their guys, but for us, we knew what was coming. The guys were really looking forward to it and they showed that tonight.
"They came out firing and started well. At the beginning of the season, we battle a bit with the starts, but not today.
"The boys played really well and with the support behind us it was just brilliant."
Champion side
Opposite number Schalk Burger congratulated the Bulls and hoped that the Stormers could look to build on what had been a successful season, despite falling at the final hurdle.
"It was disappointing from our side to give them such a big head start," he said. "We knew they were going to come out and attack us and they did that.
"They're a champion side so all credit to them. We couldn't get any momentum going and struggled.
"We're obviously disappointed for losing out in a final, but it's a big improvement for us this season. Hopefully we can build on it for the next couple of years."
