All Blacks crush Bulls for perfect RGR warm-up
MATCH REPORT: New Zealand concluded their Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry warm-up phase with a commanding 50-19 victory over the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
It was the All Blacks’ third win in South Africa, following victories over the Stormers (38-21) and Sharks (54-0).
The All Blacks outscored the Bulls eight tries to three, with Josh Moorby, Codie Taylor and Leroy Carter each crossing for a brace.
*To recap all the action CLICK HERE
For the Bulls, Ruan Vermaak, Stravino Jacobs and Marcell Coetzee were the try-scorers.
Although it was a warm-up match ahead of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, there was a distinct Test-match feel to the contest as Dave Rennie opted for a second-string All Blacks side, with Beauden Barrett and Rieko Ioane headlining the line-up.
The Bulls, meanwhile, fielded a strong side featuring Willie le Roux, Embrose Papier, Curwin Bosch, Hanro Liebenberg and Jeandre Rudolph.
Bosch got the show underway in his first appearance for the Bulls. The hosts strted with intent as they pilled on the early pressure and kept the All Blacks pinned inside their own half.
However, the All Blacks weathered the storm and soon found themselves inside the Bulls’ 22. While the South Africans conceded multiple offside penalties, the visitors failed to turn their pressure into points, with the Bulls’ defence standing firm.
Instead, it was the Bulls who came close to opening the scoring when a rolling maul sent Juann Else over the line. However, referee Nika Amashukeli and his officials deemed that the hooker had been held up, leaving the score at 0-0 after 13 minutes.
It did not take long for the All Blacks to break the deadlock.
From a line-out, the visitors moved the ball quickly and opened up the Bulls’ defence before Hurricanes wing Josh Moorby crossed for the opening try. Barrett missed the conversion as the All Blacks moved into a 5-0 lead.
The Bulls thought they had responded immediately when Liebenberg kicked a grubber and dotted down, but the try was ruled out after Willie le Roux was adjudged to have knocked the ball on in the build-up.
Moorby then grabbed his second try as the All Blacks turned up the tempo, with the winger finishing in the corner. Barrett added the conversion to extend the lead to 12-0.
Things quickly went from bad to worse for the Bulls.
They were reduced to 14 men when Francois Klopper was shown a yellow card, while Liebenberg was forced from the field with an injury.
The All Blacks took full advantage of their numerical superiority, with Codie Taylor scoring a brace of tries from close range to put the visitors firmly in control.
Despite being down to 14 players, the Bulls continued to create try-scoring opportunities.
However, a miscommunication and a knock-on halted their momentum as the hosts went into the break trailing 0-24.
The Bulls made changes at half-time and started the second half with a try. From a line-out, Ruan Vermaak made a powerful run and went over the line. The TMO initially ruled that he had been held short, but the referee overturned the decision and awarded the try. Bosch added the conversion to make it 24-7.
The All Blacks hit back immediately, with Leroy Carter dotting down in the corner after flirting with the touchline to make it 29-7.
The visitors looked lethal in attack, consistently getting over the gain line and producing a series of impressive offloads. Carter and Ioane linked up before the centre went over for the All Blacks’ sixth try.
In the 60th minutes the Bulls got their second try. From a solid scrum, Rudolph picked up the ball and handed it to Bosch, who drew in a couple of defenders before sending speedster Stravino Jacobs over for the five-pointer.
Celebrations was short-lived at Loftus as Carter then grabbed his second try.
But the Bulls refused to surrender. A break by Hakeem Kunene provided the perfect platform for captain Marcel Coetzee to power over the line for his team’s third try.
New Zealand, however, were not finished.
Timoci Tavatavanawai continued the strong running he had shown against the Sharks, and his powerful carry created the opportunity for Wallace Sititi to cross the line and add another try to the All Blacks’ commanding tally.
The All Blacks’ attacking quality and relentless tempo ultimately proved too much for the Bulls, who showed plenty of fight but were unable to contain the visitors for long periods.
Player of the match: Rieko Ioane and Leroy Carter deserve a mention for their work for the All Blacks, while Bulls loose forward Jeandre Rudolph was the heart of his team, putting in a physical performance and completing 16 tackles. However, our nod goes to Anton Segner. The loose forward’s carries and tackles were both into double figures, while he also made three turnovers. A tireless performance from the All Blacks No. 7.
The scorers:
For Bulls:
Tries: Vermaak, Jacobs, Coetzee
Cons: Bosch, Kunene
For New Zealand:
Tries: Moorby 2, Taylor 2, Carter 2, Ioane, Sititi
Cons: Barrett, Jacomb 4
Yellow card: Francois Klopper (Bulls, 29 – offside)
Teams:
Bulls: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Thaakir Abrahams, 13 Stedman Gans, 12 Harold Vortster, 11 Stravino Jacobs, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Jeandre Rudolph, 7 Hanro Liebenberg, 6 Marcell Coetzee (captain), 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.
New Zealand: 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 (captain), 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
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant referees: Karl Dickson (England), Matthew Carley (England)
TMO: Eric Gauzins (France)
