The clinical All Blacks delivered a rugby masterclass at Loftus Versfeld, securing a comprehensive 50-19 victory over the Vodacom Bulls. Despite a courageous start and moments of attacking brilliance from the Pretoria outfit, the New Zealanders' relentless pace and physical dominance up front ultimately blew the game open.
The All Blacks started like a house on fire, launching immediate offensive waves. However, disciplined and patient defence from the Bulls not only kept the tourists at bay but allowed the home side to successfully work their way deep into the All Blacks' red zone during the opening exchanges.
The turning point came at the 11-minute mark when New Zealand began to dominate up front. Josh Moorby was put into space out wide to open the scoring, before doubling his tally nine minutes later following a swift, multi-phase attack.
A yellow card to Bulls tighthead prop Francois Klopper in the 29th minute severely handicapped the hosts. The All Blacks ruthlessly capitalised on the numerical advantage, with captain Codie Taylor crossing the whitewash twice before the whistle to secure a commanding 22-00 halftime lead.
The Bulls showed immense fight immediately after the break, with Ruan Vermaak crashing over to spark hopes of a comeback. However, New Zealand hit back instantly through Leroy Carter and a blistering run from Rieko Ioane.
As the game opened up, the Bulls threw caution to the wind, attacking from anywhere on the park. Stravino Jacobs lit up the stadium by beating three defenders out wide for a spectacular score, and skipper Marcell Coetzee later bulldozed his way over the line. Yet, the night belonged to the clinical visitors, who sealed their half-century milestone with late tries from Carter and Wallace Sititi to record a fully deserved 50-19 victory.
Scorers:
Vodacom Bulls: Tries: Ruan Vermaak, Stravino Jacobs, Marcell Coetzee. Conversions: Curwin Bosch (2).
All Blacks: Tries: Josh Moorby (2), Codie Taylor (2), Leroy Carter (2), Rieko Ioane, Wallace Sititi. Conversions: Beauden Barrett, Josh Jacomb (4).
Teams:
Vodacom Bulls: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Thaakir Abrahams, 13 Stedman Gans, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Stravino Jacobs, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Jeandre Rudolph, 7 Hanro Liebenberg, 6 Marcell Coetzee (c), 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Ruan Vermaak, 3 Francois Klopper, 2 Juann Else, 1 Alu Tshakweni. Replacements: 16 Johan Grobbelaar, 17 Sti Sithole, 18 Khuta Mchunu, 19 Reinhardt Ludwig, 20 Elrigh Louw, 21 Paul de Wet, 22 Katlego Letebele, 23 Hakeem Kunene.
All Blacks: 15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Leroy Carter, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Anton Lienert-Brown, 11 Josh Moorby, 10 Josh Jacomb, 9 Cortez Ratima, 8 Peter Lakai, 7 Anton Segner, 6 Simon Parker, 5 Patrick Tuipulotu, 4 Fabian Holland, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor (c), 1 Xavier Numia. Replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 George Bower, 18 Siale Lauaki, 19 Josh Lord, 20 Wallace Sititi, 21 Kyle Preston, 22 Timoci Tavatavanawai, 23 Emoni Narawa.