The Bulls were definitely the favourites going into the Super 14 final at Loftus on Saturday, but few could have foreseen the rampage that ensued. The Bulls beat the Chiefs 61 – 17.

The Bulls players and management have for a while now spoken about their desire to build a dynasty, to start an era of dominance in the competition to rival that of the Crusaders.

At Loftus on Saturday, in front of a sell-out crowd awash in light blue, they added substance to their words with a performance that was emphatic as any seen in any final anywhere. It was their second title, and only two teams have won more Super 14 trophies now than they have – the Crusaders and the Blues.

The Bulls scored eight tries to two, they led 34-7 at half-time, the game was effectively over when they led 21-7 after just 15 minutes. The eight tries was a record for a Super 14 decider, so was the winning margin of 44 points, which eclipsed the 30 the Brumbies won by when they beat the Sharks 36-6 in Canberra in 2001.

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Bulls coach Frans Ludeke have named Wynand Olivier as his number 12 for Saturday’s Super 14 Final against the Chiefs at Loftus, but time will tell if the inside centre will be fit for the encounter.

Olivier ran with the team on Tuesday and Ludeke is optimistic about his recovery but a final call will only be made later this week.

The Bulls’ first option is to play Olivier and Jaco Pretorius in the midfield but if Olivier does not recover Pretorius will again partner Marius Delport with the promising Gerhard van den Heever on the bench.

Ludeke has otherwise left the team that ensured a home final unchanged and he said that the team is looking forward to the clash against the Chiefs.

“It is a great opportunity to play in a final at Loftus and we are excited about the challenge that awaits us,” he said.

“We have prepared well and the team is focused on the job at hand.”

Captain Victor Matfield stressed that you never know when the opportunity to play in a home final will emerge again and this is one of the reasons why the Bulls are going to put in a massive effort on Saturday.

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