WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) The defending champion Bulls will host the Stormers in an all-South African final of rugby’s Super 14 after Saturday’s semifinals saw the elimination of New Zealand and Australia’s last title hopes. The Pretoria-based Bulls beat seven-time champions the Canterbury Crusaders 39-24 in front of 35,000 fans at Orlando Stadium in Soweto and will return to the township for next weekend’s final against the Cape Town-based Stormers.

The Stormers reached a Super rugby final for the first time, after semifinal defeats in 1999 and 2004, by beating the New South Wales Waratahs 25-6, ensuring the second all-South African final since 2007 when the Bulls beat the Sharks. Springboks flyhalf Morne Steyn kicked 24 points nine penalties and three conversions for the Bulls to break the record of his Crusaders and All Blacks opposite Dan Carter for most points by an individual in a Super 14 season.

Steyn’s first penalty in the ninth minute took him past Carter’s 2006 record of 221 points. No.

8 Pierre Spies scored the Bulls’ first try from a Crusaders error after only two minutes, setting the tone for a match in which the home team was never headed. Playing away from their regular ground at Loftus Versfeld, which has been taken over by the football World Cup, the Bulls were still unable to maintain a run of 19 straight wins in home games.

Coach Frans Ludeke rested 14 of his front-line players for last week’s final regular-season match against the Stormers but his players showed no ill-effects from that layoff, outclassing the Crusaders who made 22 handling errors. The Crusaders were forced to travel to South Africa for the second time in three weeks for Saturday’s match, after losing to the Bulls 40-35 in the penultimate round of the regular season.

Captain Richie McCaw refused to blame his team’s substandard performance on fatigue or the effects of travel. “We’ve got no excuses with the travel.

We were ready to go and we came up short,” McCaw said. Bulls captain Victor Matfield said his team was untroubled by its move from Loftus Versfeld to Orlando Stadium, which was hosting a major rugby match for the first time.

“I’ve played 100 games for the Bulls and this is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had,” Matfield said. “Everyone’s going to be back here next week and it’s going to be huge.

” Spies’ try gave the Bulls a perfect start, breaking the natural tension of the semifinal, and Steyn’s conversion and record-breaking penalty put them 10-0 ahead after nine minutes. McCaw scored a try for the Crusaders two minutes later and Carter converted but fullback Zane Kirschner scored the Bulls second try at the end of a frantic first 15 minutes to set his team back on a winning course.

The Bulls led 23-10 at halftime and made their win safe when scrumhalf Fourie du Preez scored his team’s only second half try. “It’s going to be a great final next week, but credit to all the guys for making our third final in four years,” man of the match du Preez said.

“There’s been a lot of talk about our rest last week. But it’s a tough competition.

I think the rest helped us perform today.” Center Juan de Jongh scored the only try of the match, his first in Super 14 rugby, as the Stormers beat the Waratahs at Cape Town.

Flyhalf Peter Grant kicked six penalties and a conversion for the Stormers. “This is the side the media mocked in the past as a side that flatter to deceive and are a great team on paper,” Stormers coach Allister Coetzee said.

“But this team has matured and we’re happy that we have become part of history. “But we have work to do next week and we respect the Bulls.

They are the best team in the southern hemisphere and we are excited to have this opportunity.”.