Bulls gracious in defeat
Sunday October 23 2005
'The better team on the day won'
The mark of a true champion is that you handle success and failure with the same gracious dignity. And that is exactly what Blue Bulls coach Heyneke Meyer did when his team lost 29-25 to the Cheetahs in the Currie Cup Final at Loftus Versfeld at the weekend.
Gracious in defeat: Heyneke Meyer
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Meyer admitted that the defeat was a bitter pill to swallow, but refused to make excuses.
"The better team on the day won," Meyer said in his post-match reaction. "We must take the defeat like champions. We knew it was going to be difficult to beat the Cheetahs three times in the same season.
"I said beforehand the team that made the fewest mistakes would win.
"However, one can't play with 14 players after [wing] Bryan Habana was shown a yellow card. The try by JP Nel [centre] was also a 50/50 decision.
"We lost and must now be gracious enough to accept that the Cheetahs deserve to be the new Currie Cup champions. We also accept that they'll be gracious in their moment of glory.
"The Cheetahs are welcome to their win, because they used their fewer opportunities so much better."
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