Marcell Coetzee has described scoring against the All Blacks at Loftus Versfeld as a moment that will stay with him, even as the Bulls went down 19-50 on Saturday.
The 35-year-old Bulls captain crossed in the 72nd minute for his fifth appearance against New Zealand — his first since facing them as a Springbok in 2014. It was also only the second time he had scored against the All Blacks at any level.
"First of all, playing against the All Blacks again after so many years, you can just see it's another intensity, another ball game," Coetzee said after the match. "Just to get that taste again, jogging out, seeing the national anthem, facing the Haka, yeah, it's one for the memory bank."
Coetzee was quick to credit his teammates for the score itself. "That's all down to pressure from the boys just setting you up," he said.
Despite the margin of defeat, Coetzee felt the players recognised the significance of the occasion. "Despite the score and everything, you can see the boys' faces — it was an awesome opportunity, awesome game to be part of."
He acknowledged the Bulls have work to do, echoing the coaching staff's assessment: "Like the coach said, there's a lot of fixings that we need to do going forward."
Coetzee, who earned 31 Springbok caps between 2012 and 2022, scoring six Test tries, made his debut against England at Kings Park in June 2012.