PRETORIA, South Africa: The Sharks have knocked defending champion the Bulls out of the Super 15 with a 26-23 win in a thrilling South African derby in the final round of the regular season. Winger Lwazi Mvovo scored the game-clinching try for the visiting Sharks in the 74th minute at Loftus Versfeld Saturday to steal a place in the six-team playoffs at the expense of the two-time defending champion Bulls. The Sharks clung on, despite a late score by Bulls scrumhalf Francois Hougaard, to give the Durban-based team its first win in Pretoria since 2008. Three-time winners the Bulls miss out on Super rugby's knockout stages for only the second time since 2004. Stormers secures home semis In South Africa, the Stormers secured second place in the Super rugby table, and a home semifinal in the playoffs, when they beat the Cheetahs 44-34 in a high-scoring, all-South African encounter Saturday. The Stormers now go straight through to the semifinals while the Canterbury Crusaders, who dropped to third place, will host the Sharks in the first week of the playoffs next weekend. Canterbury wins NZ title The Canterbury Crusaders claimed the New Zealand conference title and a place in the top three seedings for the Super rugby playoffs with a gutsy 16-9 win over the Wellington Hurricanes Saturday. Center Robbie Fruean scored the only try and Dan Carter added eight points with his boot to tame a fired-up Hurricanes side, who were playing for pride in a match that looked like an All Blacks selection trial. Reds beat Chiefs Earlier Wallabies flyhalf Quade Cooper became the first Australian player to pass 200 points in a Super rugby season when he contributed 14 to the Queensland Reds' 19-11 win over the Waikato Chiefs. Cooper entered the Reds' last match of the regular season with 196 points and reached the milestone quickly when he kicked a conversion of Liam Gill's fifth-minute try, then added a 17th minute penalty. He finished with four penalties and a conversion to take his season's tally to 210 points, making him the leading pointscorer in the tournament this season. Waratahs beat Brumbies In Sydney, the New South Wales Waratahs beat the ACT Brumbies 41-7 in a one-sided Australian derby Saturday to clinch a Super rugby playoffs spot for the fifth time in seven seasons. Wallabies fullback Kurtley Beale created a first half try for Lachie Turner and kicked 16 points for the Waratahs, who moved from seventh to fifth place in the championship table and became one of six teams contesting the playoffs over the next two weeks.
