Sevens star Seabelo Senatla scored with 73 seconds left to seal a 41-33 win for the DHL Stormers over the Vodacom Bulls Saturday in a lively Super Rugby "dead rubber".
Photo from video
The Stormers scored six tries and Bulls five to entertain the crowd at Loftus Versfeld stadium in Pretoria in a final round league match where only pride was at stake.
Cape Town-based Stormers had already won the Africa 1 conference and secured a home quarter-final against twice former champions Waikato Chiefs of New Zealand.
Bulls coach Nollis Marais would have loved to finish a dismal season with a win, but it was not to be and New Zealander John Mitchell takes charge next season.
The lack of pressure on the teams probably helped deliver an action-packed match in which Bulls built a seven-point lead only to fall 34-21 behind during the second half.
A couple of tries for the home side narrowed the gap to a single point before a 78th-minute turnover set up the match-clinching score for flying winger Senatla.
Senatla was a key figure early in the World Rugby Sevens Series season for eventual champions South Africa before opting for the 15-a-side version.
Young fly-half Damian Willemse converted to complete the scoring and finish with 16 points from a try, four conversions and a penalty.
The Stormers completed the regular season with 10 victories and five losses to finish 22 points ahead of Africa 1 pool runners-up Central Cheetahs.
The Bulls managed just four wins and 11 losses, including a 62-24 thrashing at home to record seven-time champions Canterbury Crusaders of New Zealand.
