Morne Steyn praised everyone except himself after his 21 points lifted the Bulls into a Super 14 final showdown against Chiefs next Saturday.
The fly-half contributed four drop goals, three conversions and a penalty as Bulls overcame a 13-point deficit midway through the first half to triumph 36-23 against title holders Crusaders at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Humble Steyn, who gave his hopes of playing for the Springboks against the British and Irish Lions next month a giant boost, said much of the credit for his success should go to Bulls kicking coach Vlok Cilliers.
"Vlok works hard with us and the credit must go to him," he said of the former Bok after one of the greatest triumphs in the success-laden history of the Pretoria team.
The leading Super 14 points scorer this season with 172 also signalled out halfback partner Fourie du Preez and centres Jaco Pretorius and Wynand Olivier, who missed the Crusaders match owing to a hip injury, for special praise.
The Chiefs booked their first appearance in the southern hemisphere championship climax a day earlier by withstanding a late Hurricanes onslaught to emerge 14-10 victors in an all-New Zealand Hamilton clash.
Because the South Africans finished first and Chiefs second in the final standings after the group phase, the decider will be staged at a 52,000-seat Pretoria fortress where Bulls losses are rare.
How the Crusaders must dislike the Bulls No 10 jersey as their only previous Super Rugby semi-final loss was masterminded by a succession of penalties from former incumbent Derick Hougaard two years ago.
Loftus loved Hougaard so much that a special song was played on the public address system every time he scored and when he moved to Europe two seasons ago, Steyn stepped into the pivotal role.
Always a reliable kicker of penalties and conversions, he has suddenly added a new weapon to his arsenal, landing two drop kicks against the Sharks last weekend and another four against Crusaders.
And with Bok first-choice fly-half Ruan Pienaar racing against the clock to recover from an ankle injury before the June 20 first Test against the Lions, Steyn must be a strong candidate to play in Durban.
The New Zealanders stunned the Bulls by scoring two early tries and leading 20-7 before number eight Thomas Waldrom was 'sin binned' and a stunning Bulls revival yielded 20 points in eight minutes.
Wing Akona Ndungane and outstanding number eight Pierre Spies scored converted tries after Steyn dropped two goals within three minutes and by half-time the Bulls were 27-20 ahead.
Crusaders did cut Bulls advantage to four points via a drop goal from scrum-half Andy Ellis, but never seriously threatened to regain the initiative with captain and All Black flanker Richie McCaw strangely subdued.
Another All Black, fullback Mils Muliaina, showered praise on unfashionable Chiefs after they hung on in fog-shrouded Hamilton to earn another crack at the Bulls after losing 33-27 in Pretoria last month.
"The heart and dedication in the last 10 or 15 minutes that went into the defence, you can't train for stuff like that. I'm absolutely proud of my boys," he boasted.
Muliaina and number eight Sione Lauaki crossed the line for the Chiefs with fly-half Stephen Donald, a distant second behind Steyn on the Super 14 scorers table, converting both.
If the Chiefs succeed next weekend they will become only the fifth team to raise the Super Rugby trophy after Crusaders (seven titles), the Blues (three), the Brumbies (two) and Bulls (one).
Sapa-AFP
