The Bulls grabbed the last semifinal berth in rugby's Super 14 on Saturday by conjuring exactly what they needed to in a remarkable 43-10 defeat of the Stormers at Newlands.
The Bulls had to win the South African derby by 33 points with a bonus point to edge the Sharks on points difference.
Their victory earned them a trip to Christchurch, New Zealand to play the defending champion Canterbury Crusaders on Friday, while the Wellington Hurricanes will host the New South Wales Waratahs next Saturday after defeating the Waratahs 19-14 in Sydney.
The Waratahs dropped test winger Wendell Sailor before the match because of a positive doping test.
It's the same final foursome as last year, when it was the Super 12.
In a dramatic finale to the regular season, with three teams in the hunt for the last playoff spot, the two-time winner ACT Brumbies were crushed by host Canterbury 33-3 on Friday then knocked out of playoff contention hours later and replaced by the Sharks, who beat Perth-based expansion club Western Force 41-25 in Durban.
Knowing the maths necessary to qualify, the Bulls produced a magnificent effort to lead the Stormers by 33 points with a bonus points by the 62 minute, then held on.
"When we saw the Sharks playing so well last night we were very determined to come out and do what we had to," Bulls captain Victor Matfield said.
Their fourth try in the 31st minute to Morne Steyn gave the Bulls a major boost, and by halftime they led the error-prone Stormers 26-3.
The home side appeared to disrupt the Bulls' plans when Springboks back Jean de Villiers beat several defenders to earn a converted try moments after the restart. But Steyn kicked a penalty, prop Wessel Roux was driven over, then Matfield's grubber was touched down by winger Bryan Habana for his second try.
The Bulls upheld their 33-point advantage to the end, and completed a sweep of their fellow South African franchises.
Home field advantage
In Sydney, Wellington earned a home semifinal and a psychological edge over New South Wales with a defense-inspired 19-14 win, which leapfrogged the Hurricanes over the Waratahs into second place in the standings.
The Hurricanes repelled the Waratahs constantly in the second half when they had only one-fifth of the possession.
The Waratahs were unsettled when Sailor was stood down indefinitely for a positive A test for an undisclosed banned substance. Sailor, 31, has played 37 tests since switching from rugby league in 2002.
Wellington got on top with Shannon Paku and John Schwalger scoring tries inside the first 18 minutes before Phil Waugh crossed out wide for the hosts in the 28th after sustained pressure.
But the New Zealanders regained a 12-point buffer on halftime when Hewat's attempted clearance kick was charged down and flyhalf Jimmy Gopperth pounced on the rebound.
Waratahs utility Sam Norton-Knight sliced through an undermanned midfield in the 65th, setting up an intense final 15 minutes in which Wellington was able to hold out despite having twice been reduced to 14 men in the second half.
In Auckland, flyhalf David Hill scored a try among 20 points as the Waikato Chiefs ended their season with 30-9 win over the Auckland Blues.
The Chiefs win lifted them to sixth on the championship standings with seven wins, five losses and a draw.
In Kimberley, the Cheetahs overturned a 14-point deficit to defeat the Cats 28-23.
The Cheetahs were reduced to 13 men at one point in the first half and the Cats took advantage to lead 23-9 after 42 minutes. But the Cheetahs rallied with six penalties shared by three players, and South Africa's newest franchise finished 10th in its debut season. The Cats came 13th.
On Friday, Queensland Reds farewelled coach Jeff Miller with a 22-16 win over the Otago Highlanders. Former Australia coach Eddie Jones will replace Miller next season.
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