Brutal All Blacks overpower Bulls in dominant victory

By Liam Napier in Pretoria

Thirty years on from securing their first series success on South African soil at this venue, the All Blacks put the hurt on the Bulls, winning 50-19 at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.

In their first visit to Loftus in eight years, since their 32-30 win against the Springboks in 2018, the All Blacks delivered their best performance of this tour to complete preparations for the first test against the Springboks next weekend.

The Bulls, while missing the bulk of their Boks and – like the Stormers and Sharks before them – attempting to gel at the start of their preseason, were expected to pose the toughest challenge before the first test.

The All Blacks, though, never let the hosts into the contest. Dave Rennie’s men bossed the gainline – running for a staggering 434 post-contact metres – and the breakdown to physically dominate the Bulls.

Defensively, the All Blacks applied consistent pressure to force the Bulls into regular mistakes – and they then pounced on those to flick the counterattacking switch.

All Blacks Anton Segner sends the ball to a support runner in the All Blacks victory over the Bulls. Photo / SmartFrame

Four first-half tries from the All Blacks – two each from Codie Taylor and Josh Moorby – left the Bulls on the rack, down 24-0, and the 30,930-strong crowd stunned.

But for a brief response after halftime, the locals had little to celebrate but their hearty fans found their voice at every opportunity.

Savouring their front-foot platform, the All Blacks attack ran rampant. They made 12 line breaks (conceding one) and scored eight-tries-to-two to underline their lethal ability when afforded time and space.

Their finishing wasn’t always polished but for a team that barely trained together since their midweek blowout win against the underwhelming Sharks in Durban, this was impressive.

The Bulls couldn’t contain the All Blacks’ offloading, ball movement and support play.

Rennie implored the All Blacks to rectify their sluggish starts in their two previous tour matches. After absorbing early pressure, they did just that to blow the Bulls away.

The scoreline suggests otherwise but the All Blacks had to work hard for their early points. They defended their line, including several attempted mauls from the Bulls, and summoned one monster scrum five metres out from their line in a statement shunt.

All Blacks winger Leroy Carter scores against the Bulls in Pretoria. Photo / Photosport

Tyrel Lomax’s return at tighthead prop, alongside Taylor who captained the All Blacks for the first time, made an immediate impact to the scrum platform.

Lomax’s 60-minute shift, in his first appearance of the tour after recovering from injury, is a welcome sight for the All Blacks as the Boks loom into view.

Anton Segner featured prominently in his preferred openside flanker position to further his case for the test side with a man-of-the-match performance through high-impact ball carrying and two breakdown turnovers.

Fabian Holland was busy, with one charge down and two lineout steals to accompany his typically workaholic efforts, although his hands let him down on occasion.

Moorby cemented his place in the starting back three with a standout performance. The Hurricanes man claimed two tries to underline his elusive, finishing prowess, but it’s his ability to hit the ball at pace and beat the first defender that consistently impresses.

From the backfield, Beauden Barrett recovered from a shaky performance at first five-eighths in the opening win over the Stormers to deliver a vastly improved display from fullback. His attempted tackle on Bulls wing Stravino Jacobs won’t be pretty on review, though, and he then threw one wayward pass.

In his first start for the All Blacks, Josh Jacomb had his moments, too, with a 50-22 one notable highlight.

Off the bench, Timoci Tavatavanawai was a serious handful as he steamrolled defenders on the charge and helped set up Wallace Sititi’s late strike with another powerful carry.

Three matches into the All Blacks gruelling tour, Rennie will be satisfied with preparations for the Boks.

Heavily weakened opposition haven’t provided anywhere near the desired level of competition, but the All Blacks made strides, particularly with their set piece and maul defence which are both a source of pride for the Boks.

Exposing their full squad – other than the injured Cam Roigard, Will Jordan and returning captain Ardie Savea – to South African conditions is another important element.

With one week to plot and recover before confronting the Boks at Ellis Park, the All Blacks are as ready as they can be at this juncture.

All Blacks 50 (Josh Moorby 2, Codie Taylor 2, Leroy Carer 2, Rieko Ioane, Wallace Sititi tries, Beauden Barrett con, Josh Jacomb 3 cons)

Bulls 19 (Ruan Vermaak, Stravino Jacobs, Marcell Coetzee tries; Curwin Bosch 2 cons)

HT: 24-0

Liam Napier is a Senior Sports Journalist and Rugby Correspondent for the New Zealand Herald. He is a co-host of the Rugby Direct podcast.