Now for the real thing. The All Blacks had an easier time against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld last night than many had hoped - and it wasn’t just because the home side was undercooked.New Zealand demolished the Bulls 50-19 in a match that had become an exhibition match by the second half, but - forget the carnival atmosphere and the occasional moments of vulnerability - the visitors provided a solid display to suggest they’re going to be handful against the Springboks at Ellis Park on Saturday.Admittedly, this wasn’t a finely tuned Bulls side. This is so early in their pre-season; they’re basically still stretching and wiping the sleep out of their eyes.Even so, nobody expected the All Blacks to boss the Bulls pack the way they did when defending a 5m scrum early in match, when the scores were still level. They pushed the mighty blue tractor backwards and forced the turnover.And the way the Kiwi backline threw the ball around with purpose, they could do some damage against the Green-and-Gold if they could minimise the errors, which were understandably plentiful in this open contest.They basically had this match wrapped up before half time, given the way they chose to attack with ball in hand.The crucial takeaways, perhaps, were how the All Blacks responded to pressure moments early in the match.Each time the Bulls asked questions, the All Blacks answered.Both sides missed early chances. The Bulls lost their first lineout throw in the New Zealand half, and a few minutes later the All Blacks were pressing inside the home side’s quarter but then lost the ball when their maul off a lineout was well held up.The home side took play to the other side of the field, winning a couple of lineouts deep in the New Zealand 22m area, and they gave them some tough moments.Skipper Marcell Coetzee made a good break, and hooker Juann Else’s push for the line was adjudged to be just short.The Bulls had a 5m scrum, and the New Zealand pack turned on the power, pushing the home side back and winning the penalty. From there, they quickly made their way upfield, and then the backs turned on the magic, with Josh Moorby cutting in to dot down in the corner.The Bulls were denied another try almost immediately afterwards, but after that was disallowed the visitors hit back almost instantly, throwing the ball around, and Moorby went over in the corner again.Centres Anton Lienert-Brown and Rieko Ioane were livewires in the midfield, where flanker Anton Segner frequently popped up. His loosie colleagues, Anton Segner and Peter Lakai, were also impressive. The way the All Blacks run the ball is different from most South African teams. They’re aiming at gaps and trying to offload to runners at speed in a bid to maintain momentum. They’re also not shy to use grubber kicks when they run out of space.The Bulls gave the ball some air too last night, especially in the second half, but they were unable to replicate the fluidity, with too many players dancing in front of All Black defenders, losing impetus.But they looked better when resorting to more familiar tactics, like building phases and gaining metres by punching around the sides of the ruck, with Coetzee scoring late in the match.The All Blacks looked vulnerable at times, and some of their tries were soft.But this team was also structured — on attack and defence, up front and at the back — and while the Springboks won’t be shaking in their boots, they also won’t be underestimating the power of the All Blacks.Only once have New Zealand won a series in South Africa, the last time they toured in 1996 and, likewise, only once have the Boks triumphed in New Zealand, way back in 1937.And in 2026, these are the only two remaining unbeaten teams in the Nations Championship.This is Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry.Scorers:Bulls: 19 (0) Tries: Ruan Vermaak, Stravino Jacobs, Marcell Coetzee. Conversions: Curwin Bosch (2).All Blacks: 50 (24) Tries: Josh Moorby (2), Codie Taylor (2), Leroy Carter (2), Rieko Ioane, Wallace Sititi. Conversions: Beauden Barrett, Josh Jacomb (4).