By the numbers: All Blacks set for match against the Bulls

All Blacks

less than 1 hour agoBy: Alan Brown

The All Blacks arrive at Loftus Versfeld for Saturday's Castle Double Malt Rugby's Greatest Rivalry clash with the Bulls, full of attacking confidence.

Here's what the numbers tell us ahead of kick-off

New Zealand arrive off the back of a statement performance, running in nine tries in a 54-0 win against the Sharks in Durban. The perfect tune-up before the step up in intensity against a Bulls side that will be desperate to make home advantage count.

The hosts, by contrast, will be out to banish the memory of a 36-7 defeat to Leinster at Croke Park, their most recent outing before turning attention to Rugby's Greatest Rivalry presented by Castle Double Malt. It's been a season of extremes for the Bulls, big wins at Loftus mixed with reality checks on the road and they'll know Saturday offers a chance to reset in front of their own crowd.

Line up the 2026 numbers side by side, and one thing jumps out New Zealand's attacking output has been relentless.

Points per match: All Blacks 42.6 vs Bulls 32.5
Tries per match: All Blacks 6.4 vs Bulls 4.7
Carries per match: All Blacks 164.0 vs Bulls 110.1
Line breaks per match: All Blacks 11.0 vs Bulls 7.5
Defenders beaten per match: All Blacks 30.6 vs Bulls 21.8
Tackle success: All Blacks 81% vs Bulls 76%

It's not one-way traffic, though. The Bulls have shaded a few key areas that will matter at altitude, they've won more turnover ball (5.2 to 3.8 per game) and boast a slightly superior lineout (91% to 87%) and scrum (95% to 94%), areas they'll lean on heavily to disrupt the All Blacks' free-flowing style.

Players to watch

All Blacks captain Codie Taylor brings vast experience to the forwards, having made 21 successful tackles across his outings so far this season.

Halfback Cortez Ratima has been the busiest link man in the squad, completing a team-high 152 passes from the base, while number eight Wallace Sititi continues to be one of the game's most damaging carriers, racking up over 100 metres from 32 carries this season.

Look out too for Peter Lakai, who has beaten six defenders and crossed for a try in his three appearances, and lock Josh Lord, whose 13 own lineout takes make him a key launchpad for New Zealand's set-piece game.

For the Bulls, captain Marcell Coetzee leads from the front with 170 successful tackles and 18 dominant hits this season, while flanker Jeandré Rudolph has been a menace at the breakdown, forcing 15 turnovers. Scrum-half Embrose Papierremains the heartbeat of their attack, crossing for 10 tries and setting up a team-high 656 passes, with centre Harold Vorster (five tries, 632 carry metres) and fullback Willie le Roux, who has boomed 1928 metres off the boot this season, rounding out a dangerous home backline.

The bottom line

The numbers point to an All Blacks side with more attacking firepower and a higher work-rate in defence, but a Bulls team that will fancy their chances at the set piece and at the breakdown on home soil. Loftus Versfeld has never been an easy place to visit but the All Blacks side arrives with the form and the stats, to back themselves.