All Blacks overwhelm Bulls 50-19 in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry

The All Blacks defeated the Bulls 50-19 at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday night, scoring eight tries to the hosts’ three in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry. The victory gave New Zealand a third consecutive win in the fixture and extended their perfect record across the three previous meetings dating back to 1949.

New Zealand established control before the break, moving 24-0 ahead. Josh Moorby scored twice, while captain Codie Taylor also crossed two times in a decisive spell before half-time. Beauden Barrett converted one of Moorby’s tries, and the All Blacks’ other successful kicks came from Barrett and Josh Jacomb, who finished with three conversions.

The Bulls struggled to turn pressure into points early on. Two possible tries were ruled out after video review, with Juann Else’s maul effort and Hanro Liebenberg’s kick-through failing to stand. Their problems increased when prop Francois Klopper was sent to the sin bin, allowing Taylor to score twice in quick succession.

The hosts improved after the interval through Ruan Vermaak, whose try was converted by Curwin Bosch. New Zealand responded immediately, with Leroy Carter and Rieko Ioane adding tries before Stravino Jacobs finished a well-worked Bulls attack from a scrum near halfway.

Carter scored again from a pass by Jacomb, giving the All Blacks further separation. Bulls captain Marcell Coetzee crossed late to complete the home side’s scoring, but replacement Wallace Sititi had the final say by breaking through under the posts.

The result came 50 years after the Bulls, then known as Northern Transvaal, edged Northern Hemisphere visitors 29-27 on the Highveld. New Zealand had already beaten the Stormers 38-21 and the Sharks 54-0 during their South African tour, making the Bulls the latest side to fall in their three-match run. The Bulls’ next listed fixture is against the Cheetahs in the Currie Cup on 16 August 2026.