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‘It was goose bump stuff’ – Marius Louw after Bulls pip Lions in Jukskei derby
Bulls captain Ruan Nortje admitted that his side were not at their best and that they were lucky to walk away with a win in the end.
Bulls captain Ruan Nortje tries to stop his opposite, Lions captain Marius Louw, from scoring a try during their URC cross-Jukskei derby at Loftus on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Gordon Arons/Gallo Images
Lions captain Marius Louw said that it was ‘goose bump’ inducing stuff during the thrilling United Rugby Championship (URC) cross-Jukskei derby with the Bulls walking away with a breathless 30-28 win at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
It was a back and forth affair that saw the lead change on multiple occasions, including twice in the final 10 minutes with the Lions edging back in front in the 74th minute, followed by the Bulls sneaking ahead with 90 seconds to go, only for the Lions to miss a long range penalty to win after the hooter.
ALSO READ: URC result – Bulls edge Lions in cross-Jukskei thriller at Loftus
In the end it was unfortunate that there had to be a loser, with rugby being the winner on the day after over 26000 turned out to watch two old rivals slug it out in a classic contest.
Why we play
“That’s why we play this game. Flippen unbelievable up and down emotions. It went down to the wire in front of an unbelievable crowd. It was goose bump stuff. What an arm wrestle, it was such a privilege to play this game,” exclaimed Louw after the match.
Louw admitted that it was an up and down performance that cost his side, with not enough positive plays in a row robbing them of a chance to walk away with another win at Loftus.
“I think we kept them out well. We got some territory but we didn’t execute. A few penalties didn’t go our way. It was just very much up and down. I think we could have had a few more positives in a row. We still went a bit positive-negative like last weekend,” explained Louw.
“I think we didn’t execute a lot of our plays. They put us under a lot of pressure and made the lineouts scrappy. I think we also made their lineouts scrappy. We stopped their momentum which we knew was going to be a threat. So I think we handled that quite well.”
Not at their best
Bulls captain on the day Ruan Nortje also admitted that his side were not at their best and that they were lucky to walk away with a positive result, which they would take with open arms.
“I have to give credit to the Lions. They have so much heart and never stopped fighting. I am very happy that we got the win and the points. But that is not a game we can be too proud of,” said Nortje.
“In that first half we were a bit slow and looked tired. We didn’t get around corners in our own half, so we definitely have to go back and have a good hard look at ourselves. But you cannot be unhappy with a win.
“We have two weeks off now and then we head to Joburg. We obviously know that is going to be another massive battle. Ellis Park is always a tough place to go. But we are going to enjoy these next two weeks, work hard and then be ready to go against the Lions again.”
