All Blacks pile 50 on the Bulls to remain undefeated in Greatest Rivalry tour

Well played both teams. NZ owned the whistle and it all went their way. Bulls were good. I’m hoping NZ beat the Springboks however, I think that the Boks may lose the first test and then return the favour with interest on the next two. NZ lacking in key areas, still quality and hopefully they can mask their deficiency’s to win the series.

Here is my assessment of the ABs after 3 games so far -

There is daylight between the ABs 1st XV and their 2nd XV units.

The first three games have exposed that the ABs squad depth is an illusion & all 44 players are not Test match capable.

The drop-off in basic physical conditioning and ability between the two units is alarming.

The 2nd XV plays with zero composure under pressure.

Neither of the two units possesses a scrum capable of troubling a standard SA franchise pack, let alone the Boks.

Their front row getting put flat on the floor at times by a depleted, pre-season Bulls pack is a massive red flag 🚩

Even when securing a statistical push, the ABs scrum looks incredibly unstable.

Across all three games, the ABs props have failed to anchor the set-piece cleanly.

Because their starting scrum cannot inflict structural damage, Dave Rennie cannot afford to play a conservative game.

If the ABs starting pack is already bleeding penalties against URC-level opposition, the introduction of a fresh, 7-1 Bok forward bench in the final 30 minutes will result in absolute set-piece carnage.

My conclusion -

Rennie knows his ABs won’t be able to rely on the individual bailouts that saw them get the W’s in these past 3 games so will likely debut intricate screen lines using heavy forwards as legal obstructions and make use of cross-field kicks.

They will probably adopt a low-offload, carrier-plus-two cleaning model to secure the breakdown under extreme physical pressure, deliberately trying to negate the Boks' counter-rucking threat.

I expect the ABs to use every trick in the book to slow the game down late in the second half to drain the clock and disrupt the Boks' momentum.

Because the AB props cannot anchor the set-piece cleanly, their inside backs will be forced to stand deeper to buy time.

Rennie’s ABs are doubling down taking their hyper-fast, wide-to-wide attacking blueprint to the well, it’s the only tactical survival mechanism they can deploy because their structural foundation is broken.

The Boks have boxed smart this round, they played a restricted, plain vanilla game to avoid giving Rennie video footage to analyze, meaning the ABs are preparing for a system they haven't actually seen yet.

The tactical trap was set🏴‍☠️

Now all that’s left is for the Boks to ruthlessly target the known vulnerabilities (exposed by the 3 SA teams) plus areas they have purposefully held back on.

As a Kiwi I think the scoreline flattered us a little. Some good attacking plays, but several mistakes that need to be removed from the game before we play the Boks. As an avid fan of BB, unfortunately he’s done as a starter , and at best is now a callup for fullback after injuries, too much strength at 10 now for him to play there again. Primary concern is gap between Roigard and 2nd in the 9 jersey……

The good ole local broadcaster didn’t want to show any close ups of that TMO decision. I wonder if he saw something the ref and viewers at home didn’t get?

Well Played All Blacks. It’s never easy to play the Bulls at altitude as you have discovered. Another notch in Dave R’s belt.

Put some really attractive sequences together and looked really good. Just the build up you will need for the test.

Viva Greatest rivalry ..

PS Having read some of the comments I am giving up on the NZ supporters - they are so one eyed it is just not worth engaging with them.Pity.

Overall satisfying, but need to be more climinical in the finish. Segner emphatically justified his tour selection ahead of Kirifi. Ratima continues to look indecisive and his kicking rarely applies pressure. Why does Jim only get 15 mins??? ALB seems to be the teachers pet. Rens must surely be thinking about the 6-2 for first test. With so many locks in good form. it's got ty o be a consideration. If D Mac doesn't make starting line keep Jordan on the wing and either Morbs or BB to 15.

I reckon Segner has earnt himself a bench spot for the test.

I would have a 6-2 bench at altitude with Paddy and Fabian starting, Darry on the bench. Start the biggest locks to give our scrum the best chance of holding up.

BB probably has to slot into full back if McKenzie can’t play.

Wingers are very hard to pick. For me, Fehi has x-factor and should get the nod along with Jordan.

If Holland keeps on galloping downfield like that he better watch his back somebody gonna grab him chuck him into Kruger with the other bull giraffes

To me, as a neutral spectator, these tour matches against the franchises don’t serve their purpose at all. Since the games are so one-sided, I get bored after 20 minutes at the latest. By then, the outcome is clear, the game is over, and I can turn off the TV without feeling guilty. That’s not good publicity for the sport—and even the 7 to 10 tries scored starting at the 20-minute mark don’t help at all. Oh, how I wish for a few close games.

Thought it was a pretty good game from the ABs tonight, but must say seeing some easy points been scored against them - couple tries each game - Ireland scored 3 simple tries, couple tonight and then the Stormers as well.

The All Blacks won, as everyone expected. Some good individual performances by them, especially the German.

Bulls put up a good fight up front, and with two tries that were chalked off it was a reasonable performance by them: they nearly caused a draw in the 2nd half. Coetzee and Rudolph probably their best players.

The ref did not have a good game. Luckily he stond by the try to the Bulls 2nd row, but besides that a lot of errors, mostly in favor of the All Blacks.

It's clear that the All Blacks can and will attack from deep if they are given space. Defence needs to lot of work for them though.

From an ABs perspective, the experience and implementation of team combination mixes for these early matches have been an invaluable build-up to the SB tests. It is still a massive undertaking but going “cold” from the 3 nations games would have been brutal. Regardless of the test results, this tour is already a success for us.

Forgetting the scoreline I think the Bulls gave NZ a decent physical test and outing.

NZ did lull after the 60 min mark but the outing will be a very useful in physical conditioning at altitude and a learner for how the thin air might affect a test match.

I thought I would be neutral but as a URC supporter I was spontaneously supporting the Bulls once the match started.

The ABs clinicalness in attack and defence was evident in 1st half but they will learn from the 2nd half tries particularly if fatigue a factor. The big impact of subs at altitude noticable in the 2nd half .

Anton Segner was monstrous!

These warm-up matches are all well and good, but we can’t wait for the real thing to start next Saturday.