The Bulls host the All Blacks at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday in the final tour match before the Greatest Rivalry Test series begins.
The Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour reaches Pretoria on Saturday evening when a motivated Bulls side host the All Blacks at Loftus Versfeld, with both teams entering the match with something significant to prove.
For New Zealand, this is the last opportunity before the first Test against the Springboks at Ellis Park on 22 August. For the Bulls, it is a rare chance to test themselves against the world’s second-ranked side, and perhaps make history in the process.
A FAMOUS ANNIVERSARY LOOMS LARGE
Context matters enormously at Loftus this weekend. Saturday falls almost exactly on the 50th anniversary of Northern Transvaal’s famous 29-27 victory over the All Blacks in 1976, the last time a Bulls predecessor defeated New Zealand at this venue. That result occurred just weeks before Western Province’s equally celebrated win over the tourists in Cape Town, during a tour widely considered the most significant in South African rugby history.
The Bulls have won only once in four meetings with the All Blacks, but Johan Ackermann’s squad has been reminded of that historical precedent throughout the week. With the altitude of Loftus –1,350 metres above sea level – already providing a natural advantage, the home side has every reason to believe an upset is not beyond them.
“Loftus Versfeld is one of the most formidable rugby grounds in the world,” All Blacks coach Dave Rennie acknowledged. “We are aware of the challenge in front of us and excited at what lies ahead.”
BULLS BLEND EXPERIENCE WITH NEW ARRIVALS
Ackermann has named a quite competitive squad despite the absence of several Springboks on international duty. Captain Marcell Coetzee leads a match-day squad that includes five other capped Boks in the form of Willie le Roux, Curwin Bosch, Embrose Papier, Elrigh Louw and Johan Grobbelaar. Scrumhalf Papier, the URC’s joint-leading try scorer last season with 12, will control the tempo alongside flyhalf Bosch, a player making his first appearance for the Bulls after two years in France.
Bosch’s instinctive attacking game and eye for space could be a significant weapon against an All Blacks side that has at times struggled to contain enterprising pivot play on this tour. Loose forward Hanro Liebenberg, back on South African soil after spending five seasons at the Leicester Tigers, adds further menace across the back row alongside the ever-reliable Jeandre Rudolph, who forced 15 turnovers during last season’s URC campaign.
Louw and Grobbelaar were released from the Springboks squad and added to the Bulls bench, though both have had only a single training session with the team since returning from Argentina.
ALL BLACKS MAKING FINAL AUDITIONS COUNT
Rennie has made 19 changes from the side that crushed the Sharks 54-0 on Tuesday, but these selection were made on purpose. Tour captain Codie Taylor makes his first appearance of Rugby’s Greatest Rugby Rivalry, while Beauden Barrett moves to fullback after a difficult outing at flyhalf against the Stormers. The 144-cap veteran should be more comfortable with time and space in the back-field rather than the decision-making pressure of the No 10 jersey.
Wings Josh Moorby and Leroy Carter are both playing for Test spots with Will Jordan’s fitness uncertain for next weekend’s series opener against the Springboks. Peter Lakai, Anton Segner and Simon Parker form a new loose forward combination with points to prove, while uncapped flyhalf Josh Jacomb gets his first extended opportunity against competitive provincial opposition.
Assistant coach Tana Umaga has been vocal about the need to play with greater pace to speed the game up.
“What is this game that we want to put out to our public?” Umaga said this week. “I think we’re doing everything we cannot to do it.”
Saturday offers a chance to demonstrate precisely that against a Bulls side built to slow things down.
MATCH PREDICTION
The Bulls have the forward pack and the set-piece quality to make this a genuine contest. Their lineout and scrum statistics edge New Zealand’s, and altitude invariably flattens visiting teams’ fitness advantages in the final quarter. Ackermann’s squad also contains considerably more combined experience than the Sharks side that was overwhelmed in Durban.
However, the All Blacks’ attacking statistics remain exceptional. They have scored at least 34 points in every 2026 outing and have genuine Test-class players throughout their lineup for this clash. While the second half, when altitude bites, will be the defining period, expect the men in black to clinch victory after a stern test against the Bulls.
