All Blacks overpower Bulls 50-19 despite Loftus altitude

New Zealand extended their winning run on the Greatest Rivalry Tour of South Africa to three matches with a convincing 50-19 victory over the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

The All Blacks maintained their commitment to fast, attacking rugby and showed no concern about the altitude in Pretoria, running in eight tries to three.

The Bulls were competitive in the early stages, but handling mistakes and poor decisions repeatedly undermined their efforts. Their lack of match sharpness was understandable, with the home side still in pre-season.

The Bulls began brightly and put New Zealand under pressure during the opening exchanges. Their first promising attack ended when the All Blacks stopped a maul five metres from their line and then won a scrum after a knock-on.

Juann Else came close to opening the scoring in the 12th minute when he was held just short of the line after another driving maul. Moments later, New Zealand made their first meaningful visit to the Bulls’ half count.

A series of quick passes and clever handling sent Josh Moorby over in the left-hand corner for a 5-0 lead.

The Bulls appeared to have responded when Hanro Liebenberg gathered a loose ball, kicked ahead and recovered it before diving over the line. However, the TMO ruled there had been a knock-on in the build-up.

New Zealand soon showed the Bulls how to finish their opportunities. Another fluent backline move left the home defence struggling to keep pace, with Moorby crossing for his second try in the 19th minute. Beauden Barrett added the conversion to make it 12-0.

Although the Bulls continued to threaten, their attack was frequently halted by inaccurate execution. The All Blacks were far more clinical and added two further tries before the break, both scored by captain Codie Taylor.

Taylor’s first came from a quick tap penalty five metres from the line in the 32nd minute. The try was not converted.

The hooker then crossed again after the half-time hooter, with New Zealand forcing their way over a Bulls ruck and retaining possession through several phases. Barrett converted to give the visitors a 24-0 advantage at half-time.

The Bulls needed an immediate response and produced one three minutes after the restart. Ruan Vermaak crashed over from a well-worked five-metre lineout move, with Curwin Bosch converting to reduce the deficit to 24-7.

New Zealand hit back from the restart. Excellent handling created space for Leroy Carter, who finished in the right-hand corner despite the attention of Harold Vorster. Barrett converted.

The All Blacks then punished another Bulls error in the 49th minute. The ball was moved quickly into the wide channels before Carter found Rieko Ioane on his inside, allowing the centre to score. Josh Jacomb added the conversion for a 36-7 lead.

The Bulls responded with their second try four minutes later. Jeandre Rudolph, one of the home side’s outstanding performers, broke blind from a scrum and made 15 metres before finding Bosch. The fly-half released Stravino Jacobs, who stayed close to the touchline, cut inside Beauden Barrett and finished. The try was not converted.

New Zealand continued to threaten whenever they had possession. Carter completed his second try in the 66th minute after Barrett sliced through the defence and, despite being caught by Thaakir Abrahams, offloaded from the ground. Jacomb converted.

The All Blacks added a seventh try through Wallace Sititi, with Jacomb again successful from the tee, before the Bulls had the final say through captain Marcell Coetzee.

Coetzee, who delivered a tireless performance for the hosts, crossed for the Bulls’ third try. Bosch converted to complete the scoring at 50-19.

New Zealand’s points came from Josh Moorby, Codie Taylor and Leroy Carter, who each scored twice, as well as Rieko Ioane and Wallace Sititi. Beauden Barrett kicked one conversion and Josh Jacomb added four.

For the Bulls, Vermaak, Jacobs and Coetzee scored the tries, with Bosch converting twice.

The match also saw Francois Klopper receive a yellow card for repeated infringements in the red zone. The Bulls had further opportunities, including attacking lineouts and a period when they held up over the New Zealand line, but could not match the All Blacks’ speed or precision.

The Bulls started with Willie le Roux, Thaakir Abrahams, Stedman Gans, Harold Vorster, Stravino Jacobs, Curwin Bosch, Embrose Papier, Jeandre Rudolph, Hanro Liebenberg, Marcell Coetzee, JF van Heerden, Ruan Vermaak, Francois Klopper, Juann Else and Alu Tshakweni.

Their replacements were Johan Grobbelaar, Sti Sithole, Khuta Mchunu, Reinhardt Ludwig, Elrigh Louw, Paul de Wet, Katlego Letebele and Hakeem Kunene.

The All Blacks selected Beauden Barrett, Leroy Carter, Rieko Ioane, Anton Lienert-Brown, Josh Moorby, Josh Jacomb, Cortez Ratima, Peter Lakai, Anton Segner, Simon Parker, Patrick Tuipulotu, Fabian Holland, Tyrel Lomax, Codie Taylor and Xavier Numia.

New Zealand’s replacements were Samisoni Taukei’aho, George Bower, Siale Lauaki, Josh Lord, Wallace Sititi, Kyle Preston, Timoci Tavatavanawai and Emoni Narawa.