Stormers coach Robbie Fleck says he will continue to place his faith in players such as flyhalf Jean-Luc du Plessis. DYLAN JACK reports.

Prior to the match, Fleck told the media that he believed Damian Willemse was the best fullback in the country, while bringing Du Plessis back into the starting lineup at flyhalf.

The duo rewarded their coach with solid performances as the Stormers became the first South African side to beat the Bulls this season.

‘Tactically we have just got to look at that first half,’ Fleck said on Du Plessis’ performance. ‘I think there was maybe one poor option, but otherwise he made good decisions.

‘The thing is here we are not going to make any hasty decisions. We are going to keep backing players. We are going to rotate were necessary. But when you are losing by small margins, it is not one individual’s fault. The team is playing well and we have to give confidence to the group.

‘Hopefully this will be another step in the right direction. We don’t want to take one step forward and then take two steps back. We have to take advantage of this.’

Fleck added that he felt the work they had done to prepare for the Bulls’ kicking game allowed them to outwit their opponents when it came to that aspect of play.

‘Going into this game, on average, the Bulls kick the most,’ Fleck said. ‘They rely on their defence for turnovers. They have got guys that work hard on the ground. Those are the two areas we were dominant. I think we out-kicked them and outsmarted them in the kicking game.

‘I think we were more dominant at the breakdown. We took guys like Duane [Vermeulen] and [Marco] van Staden out of the game. Our attacking breakdown was excellent, hence the reason we could get going and run at them.’

Photo: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix