The Crusaders gave the Bulls an expensive counter-attacking lesson when they walloped the South African side 62-24 in their Super Rugby match at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
The scoreline was a true reflection of the gulf in class and skill between the two sides. The Crusaders scored 10 tries on the night; most of them coming via some scintillating counter-attacking play.
The Bulls had similar chances from turnover ball, but schoolboy errors and a lack of awareness of where to attack let them down on the night. The Crusaders, on the other hand, managed to find space with a good pass, a step or a little chip in behind with the boot.
Throughout this weekend, in the three matches between South African and New Zealand opposition, it was clear that South African teams are light years behind in terms of their skills and their execution of the basics. But the Bulls' effort on Saturday bordered on an embarrassment.
The Crusaders scored more than a point a minute in the opening exchanges when they took a 14-0 lead by the 12th minute after Peter Samu and Tim Bateman crossed the tryline.
The Bulls has their first real chance in the 19th minute when fullback Warrick Gelant sped away from turnover ball. However, the former Junior Springbok decided to look for support on his inside, instead of passing the ball to his wing Jamba Ulengo on the outside. To add insult to injury, Bulls flyhalf Tian Schoeman missed the resulting penalty after the Crusaders were blown up for offside.
The Crusaders, though, didn't blow their chances when they were presented with it. Scott Barrett, Jack Goodhue and the big Seta Tamanivalu dotted down before the break to give the New Zealand side a 31-3 halftime lead.
The second half was more of the same, while the Bulls also had to contend with a scrum that looked like it was going backwards on roller-skates.
David Kaetau Havili, Richie Mo'unga and Jack Goodhue scored three tries inside the first 10 minutes of the second half to effectively make sure of another bonus-point win for the Crusaders.
Jesse Kriel, Jamba Ulengo and replacement Jan Serfontein crossed over for the Bulls to give the sparse Pretoria crowd something to cheer about. But Andrew Makalio and Mitch Hunt added a try each for the visitors who left Loftus with their unbeaten record still firmly intact.