Bulls 39
Crusaders 24
A week off worked for the Bulls. Their version of rest and reconditioning primed their Super 14 dossier on the Crusaders, who were then roasted for the third time in four semifinals.
The titleholders dismissed debates about resting their top side last week and the venue shift to Soweto to
smash past a Crusaders side which lost traction in the first and last quarters.
A wonky start hurt the most. The Bulls led 20-7 inside the initial period after pieces of ill-fortune and good luck.
Lock Danie Rossouw was denied a try on flimsy television match official judgment before Zane Kirchner scored when it seemed teammate Francois Hougaard had tipped the ball forward.
The Crusaders were in disarray. They were edgy with a range of mistakes under the high ball and a scrum uncertain about their rights according to referee Stu Dickinson.
When they got some possession, the Crusaders repeated the expansive high-tempo work which rattled the Bulls in their last round-robin match. It did not work this time. The Bulls were in defensive sync and had a varied attack that drained the visitors.
Defeated skipper Richie McCaw admitted his side's lack of variety contributed to their loss. No blame could be put on McCaw as he put in another massive performance, backed by the Franks brothers, Sam Whitelock, Andy Ellis and Daniel Bowden.
Five-eighths Daniel Carter was quiet by his own high standards - he couldn't produce the spark to unlock the defences. He seldom challenged the line himself so the Bulls were able to collect the drift attack.
Even Carter's goalkicking percentages were down compared to Morne Steyn, who goaled nine from 10 attempts with a solitary miss from 52m. One success from an even longer 59m drew an "unbelievable" reaction from World Cup-winning commentator Joe Stransky.
Steyn's latest haul pushed him to a record 239 points for the series with the final to come against the Stormers at the same Orlando Stadium.
There were moments when the Crusaders verged on a breakthrough.
A setpiece move from a scrum after halftime brought a textbook finish for wing Sean Maitland and the Crusaders clawed inside the converted try deficit. However, Steyn kicked another penalty as the Crusaders defended their line consistently.
They couldn't make any headway before Springbok halfback Fourie du Preez inflicted the dagger blow.
He ran from a wheeling scrum down the blindside, evaded an unsighted defender and dived in at the corner.
Steyn's compelling conversion had the Bulls beyond the magic margin of two converted tries.
Game over with a quiet final quarter as the Crusaders ran out of sting.
Crisscrossing the Indian Ocean in the last fortnight must have hurt the Crusaders as victorious Bulls captain Victor Matfield noted.
"That's why you have got to have a home semifinal, it just improves your chances so much," he said. "Travelling like that can be very, very draining."
There may be further exhaustion for the Crusaders and Waratahs if they share the same flight home and one side loses the paper, rocks and scissors duel for the business class seats.
They might also look at each other wondering who has done enough to impress their national selectors when those squads are announced this week.
