Waratahs, Sharks fight on as Bulls exit from Super 15

New South Wales Waratahs and Coastal Sharks stayed alive this weekend in the fight for this year's Super 15 rugby championship while the Northern Bulls' title defence was snuffed out. The Waratahs and Sharks squeezed into next weekend's playoffs after wins in the 18th and final round of games. The Waratahs secured their sixth playoff spot in 16 seasons of Super Rugby with a 41-7 rout of the ACT Brumbies in Sydney, while the Sharks dumped the Bulls out of the running 26-23 in the shock of the round. The fifth-placed Sydneysiders face the fourth finishers Auckland Blues in the opening elimination playoff in Auckland on Friday, while the sixth-placed Sharks have to make the long trip to New Zealand to take on seven-time champions Canterbury Crusaders in Nelson on Saturday. Queensland Reds finished top of the season standings and have the potential to stage this year's Super 15 final, while the second-placed Western Stormers will also have home advantage in their semi-final on July 2. The Reds, who will sit out next weekend's opening playoffs along with the Stormers, rounded off their regular season with a 19-11 win over the Waikato Chiefs in Hamilton. The Stormers secured an automatic semi-final place by defeating fellow South Africans Central Cheetahs 44-34 in Bloemfontein. The Crusaders finished third overall and top of the New Zealand Conference with a 16-9 win over the Hurricanes in Wellington. Auckland Blues bounced back from four straight losses to down the Otago Highlanders 33-16 in Auckland to claim fourth spot. In the weekend's other game, New Zealander Willie Ripia landed a long-range penalty to give Western Force a 27-24 win over the Rebels in Melbourne. French international Frederic Michalak played a key role as the Sharks upset the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. Michalak was selected at fly-half ahead of in-form Patrick Lambie, who moved to fullback and it worked a treat as the Sharks kept the Bulls under pressure and the home team were never in front. For the Bulls it could be the end of an era with captain Victor Matfield and fellow stars Bakkies Botha and Fourie du Preez possibly playing their last games for the Pretoria franchise. The loss ended a six-match winning streak by the Bulls, who have won three of the past four southern hemisphere provincial championships. In Sydney, the Waratahs scored five tries to grab a bonus point and dominate their Australian rivals to reach the playoffs for the fifth time in the past seven seasons. The Waratahs equalled their previous best winning margin over the Brumbies -- 44-10 in their first-ever meeting in Sydney in 1996. The Sydneysiders paid a price for their win with injuries to Daniel Halangahu and Tatafu Polota-Nau and many other players nursing ice packs. Queensland Reds proved they were the most consistent team in the competition with 13 wins from 16 games after downing the Chiefs. The match finished with a try apiece, and the Reds had to rely on the goalkicking of Wallaby flyhalf Quade Cooper to carry them home with four penalties and a conversion. In Bloemfontein, fly-half Peter Grant returned after a lengthy absence to kick 24 points for the Stormers over the Cheetahs. The Crusaders brought some good news to their earthquake-battered city by taking the New Zealand Conference in their hard-fought victory over the Hurricanes. The Crusaders have been forced to play every match away this year after their home ground in Christchurch was rendered unplayable by February's devastating earthquake.