Stormers deserved to win - Coetzee

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The Stormers' pulled off another Houdini act as a Peter Grant penalty three minutes from the end of the match saw the Cape franchise home 20-17 against the Bulls.

The Stormers' pulled off another Houdini act as a Peter Grant penalty three minutes from the end of the match saw the Cape franchise home 20-17 against the Bulls at Newlands on Saturday evening.

But Stormers head coach Allister Coetzee said after the match that his side's gameplan has ensured the win, and given their grip on the match over sustained passages of play, they should not have relied on a penalty to secure victory.

“We have to put everything in perspective in respect of winning or losing a rugby match,” said Coetzee. “We were in a great position (for most of the match) and we again showed that we're capable of winning tight games.

“We showed great composure for most of the way and then we enjoyed great impact off the bench.

“We went into the match with a plan and we did well to handle their aerial attack, something we knew they would throw at us.

“It is a quality Bulls side. They will come back after this defeat. If you become a little inaccurate they will capitalise on mistakes and come back.”

Jean de Villiers, the Stormers captain said the victory was important for the side's upcoming tour of New Zealand and Australia.

“This will give us the continued momentum that we wanted to go on tour with,” said De Villiers. “We want to improve in every match and it helps when you win matches.

“We made mistakes which let them (the Bulls) back into the match.

“The backs may not be scoring tries but the players will do what's best for the team because it's clear that what we're doing is working well for us.”

Frans Ludeke, the Bulls coach, praised the Stormers for showing character.

“They showed a lot of character but I was pleased with the way we clawed our way back into the game,” said Ludeke. “We learnt that we will need to be more accurate at scrum time.

“Even late in the match we had opportunities to win but there are lessons that we'll learn from as we move forward.”

Pierre Spies, the Bulls captain, said the difference was that the Stormers converted their pressure into points.

“The Stormers came out firing in the first half and during the match they decided to give the ball more air,” said Spies. “The Stormers' defence put us under pressure.

“In the second half we held on to the ball a bit longer and even after we were 14-0 down we felt we could have won in the end.” – Sapa