Stormers to meet Bulls in final

FLY-HALF Peter Grant kicked 20 points for the Stormers, who thrashed New South Wales Waratahs 25-6 at Newlands yesterday to secure an all-South African Super 14 final next week against the Bulls.

Holders the Bulls beat Canterbury Crusaders 39-24 at Orlando Stadium in Soweto, also the venue for the final, earlier in the day.

"The Bulls have been the form side this season. They've led the way and we've been trying to follow in their footsteps," said Stormers captain Schalk Burger.

"We've made it to the final and anything can happen in a final."

The Stormers lived up to their status as the competition's best defensive team with another robust tackling display.

"It was typical semi-final stuff and it's fantastic to get through it," added Burger. "They contested the ball pretty well at the breakdown but at the end of the day we won it and that's all that matters."

The Waratahs, playing in their fourth semi-final in six years, could only trouble the scorers through the boot of flyhalf Berrick Barnes, who kicked a penalty and drop goal.

"It was a really disappointing effort," said Waratahs captain Phil Waugh. "We had our chances early and didn't accumulate points."

Japan booked their place at the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand with a dominant 94-5 victory over Hong Kong to top the standings at the Asian Five Nations in Tokyo yesterday.

John Kirwan's side scored 14 tries to snatch the sole direct entry given to Asia for the World Cup, while the defeat for Hong Kong meant they missed out on the cross-continental play-off for the tournament against Uruguay after Kazakhstan beat South Korea 32-25 to claim second place.