Graham
01-06-2009, 21:00
keo.co.za
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Bulls captain Victor Matfield says their victory over the Sharks was the point at which they believed they could win the Super 14 title.
That 27-26 victory three weeks ago ensured the Bulls finished top of the log, securing a home semi-final and paving an easier passage to the final.
They negotiated the Crusaders with relative ease in the semi-final, before comprehensively downing the Chiefs on Saturday evening to win their second Super 14 title in three seasons.
There were a number of telling moments for the Bulls, but Matfield was unequivocal in his belief that the victory at King’s Park was the decisive one of their campaign.
‘That was the moment we knew we could do it,’ Matfield told keo.co.za. ‘We knew we had to win to get the home semi-final, and achieving that goal gave us the belief that we could go on and win the whole thing.’
The Bulls were trailing early in the match to a Lelia Masaga try, but Matfield said they never panicked, explaining that the team’s experienced leadership core ensured they stayed focussed on and committed to the pre-match game plan.
‘We started well, but just made one mistake where I missed a tackle and they scored. But we always maintained belief in our structures and systems,’ he said.
‘We were prepared for whatever happened. The key was to keep playing the way we believed. That paid off for us because we scored three tries soon after that. That shows the unbelievable character of this team.’
The Chiefs were paralysed in the seven minute period to which Matfield refers, and got progressively worse as the match progressed, eventually capitulating into a shadow of the formidable side they had been in the league phase of the tournament.
This week they played down the travel and altitude factor this, but Matfield believed it hampered their ability to perform at their peak.
‘Of course it had an effect on them,’ he said of those factors. ‘They had to travel something like 14 hours to play at altitude. That would affect any side.
‘Playing at home was a massive advantage for us. I know this because I’ve experienced playing high pressure games away from home and it takes a special effort to win.’
It was inevitable that comparisons would be made between the 2007 squad and the current one, but Matfield said it was impossible to arrive at an absolute judgement of which was the better side of the two.
However, asked whether the current Bulls side could get any better, Matfield sounded an ominous warning to those who had aspirations on their title.
‘We can always get better,’ he said. ‘We made a lot of mistakes tonight. This is a new bunch of guys who will look to challenge themselves afresh in the coming years.’
By Ryan Vrede, at Loftus
:shark2::SharksLogo0760::shark2:
Bulls captain Victor Matfield says their victory over the Sharks was the point at which they believed they could win the Super 14 title.
That 27-26 victory three weeks ago ensured the Bulls finished top of the log, securing a home semi-final and paving an easier passage to the final.
They negotiated the Crusaders with relative ease in the semi-final, before comprehensively downing the Chiefs on Saturday evening to win their second Super 14 title in three seasons.
There were a number of telling moments for the Bulls, but Matfield was unequivocal in his belief that the victory at King’s Park was the decisive one of their campaign.
‘That was the moment we knew we could do it,’ Matfield told keo.co.za. ‘We knew we had to win to get the home semi-final, and achieving that goal gave us the belief that we could go on and win the whole thing.’
The Bulls were trailing early in the match to a Lelia Masaga try, but Matfield said they never panicked, explaining that the team’s experienced leadership core ensured they stayed focussed on and committed to the pre-match game plan.
‘We started well, but just made one mistake where I missed a tackle and they scored. But we always maintained belief in our structures and systems,’ he said.
‘We were prepared for whatever happened. The key was to keep playing the way we believed. That paid off for us because we scored three tries soon after that. That shows the unbelievable character of this team.’
The Chiefs were paralysed in the seven minute period to which Matfield refers, and got progressively worse as the match progressed, eventually capitulating into a shadow of the formidable side they had been in the league phase of the tournament.
This week they played down the travel and altitude factor this, but Matfield believed it hampered their ability to perform at their peak.
‘Of course it had an effect on them,’ he said of those factors. ‘They had to travel something like 14 hours to play at altitude. That would affect any side.
‘Playing at home was a massive advantage for us. I know this because I’ve experienced playing high pressure games away from home and it takes a special effort to win.’
It was inevitable that comparisons would be made between the 2007 squad and the current one, but Matfield said it was impossible to arrive at an absolute judgement of which was the better side of the two.
However, asked whether the current Bulls side could get any better, Matfield sounded an ominous warning to those who had aspirations on their title.
‘We can always get better,’ he said. ‘We made a lot of mistakes tonight. This is a new bunch of guys who will look to challenge themselves afresh in the coming years.’
By Ryan Vrede, at Loftus