"They thoroughly outplayed us in all areas” - Coetzee hails Benetton's performance
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Bulls captain Marcell Coetzee said Benetton were fully deserving of their victory in Saturday’s PRO14 Rainbow Cup Final in Treviso.
The Italian club side ended a remarkable season turn-around by dismantling the men from Pretoria in front of their ecstatic home crowd at the Stadio Comunale di Monigo.
The Italians won by 35-8 after taking a commanding 20-8 lead at the break, and never surrendered their supremacy in a dominant and clinical display of finals rugby.
Coetzee, who led the Bulls in the absence of the injured Duane Vermeulen, said Benetton were deserved winners of the title.
🐂 @BlueBullsRugby's Marcell Coetzee reacts to his team's disappointing loss to Benetton
🗣️ "We'll take it on the chin, we'll take our learnings, and we'll look to the future."#GuinnessPRO14RainbowCupFinal pic.twitter.com/PwCJ28qJLC
— Premier Sports 📺 (@PremierSportsTV) June 19, 2021
“Fair play to Benetton, they thoroughly outplayed us in all areas today,” explained the Bulls No 8.
“We have to take the loss on the chin and take the learnings onboard. They were brilliant with their handling and played in the right areas awhile managing to keep the pressure on us right through the game.”
"I just want to say thank you to all the supporters. Sorry we couldn’t do it today [Saturday].
"The boys are hurting at the moment, but we will take it on the chin. We will take our learnings and we will look to the future."