The Sharks ended the reign of two-time defending champions the Bulls with a thrilling 26-23 win in the final round of Super 15 rugby's regular season on Saturday.
Winger Lwazi Mvovo scored the game-clinching try for the visiting Sharks in the 74th minute at Loftus Versfeld to steal the final place in the six-team playoffs before a sellout crowd of 50,000.
The Sharks clung on in a dramatic South African derby, despite a late score by Bulls scrumhalf Francois Hougaard, for the Durban-based team's first win in Pretoria since 2008. It spoilt what is likely the last game for the Bulls for long-serving greats Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha and Fourie du Preez.
"It's very tough," said Matfield, who is likely to retire after this year's World Cup. "The Sharks came out firing. I thought we fought for 80 minutes but it just wasn't enough.
"For the three of us, it's a very special day. Maybe the last time."
Three-time winners the Bulls miss out on Super rugby's knockout stages for only the second time since 2004 after their six-game winning streak was broken.
The Bulls fought back from 16-6 down to 16-16 with 30 minutes to go of a pulsating match before Mvovo's defining score finally broke open the game for the Sharks.
Sharks captain Stefan Terblanche scored his first try of the season in the 36th, but Bulls wing Gerhard van den Heever slid over in first-half injury time to cut the Sharks' early lead to 16-13 at the break.
Lambie and former France international Frederic Michalak combined for two conversions and three penalties for the Sharks, while Bulls No. 10 Morne Steyn kicked 13 points.
Michalak, who started the crucial game at No. 10 just two weeks after joining from French club Toulouse, also landed a snap drop goal in the ninth minute which eventually proved the difference.
The Sharks matched the famed physicality and forward power of the Bulls to dump the champions out of the southern hemisphere championship and extend their own tournament in a dramatic end to the new-look competition's regular season.
"Although we love our wives, our girlfriends and our kids, we don't want to be at home next weekend, we want to be playing," Terblanche said. "It's a bit unfair that after 1200 minutes of rugby it had to come down to the final 80 minutes of the season.
"We started well, there was a bit of fire, a bit of sting in the tackle. The boys showed tremendous commitment and put our bodies on the line."
The Sharks opened a 6-3 lead when fullback Lambie landed penalties in the second and eighth minutes, either side of a fourth-minute shot from Steyn.
Michalak extended the lead to 9-3 with his drop from 40 metres, temporarily stunning home fans.
A bruising period of Bulls forward play then had the Sharks defence scrambling and Steyn kicked his second penalty when the visitors eventually infringed.
Terblanche scored off a break from winger JP Pietersen four minutes before halftime as the Sharks surged ahead. Pietersen went down the middle after a set move at a lineout on halfway and his one-handed pass over the top pass gave Terblanche enough space to go over.
The slow-starting Bulls hit back when they chose to tap and go from a penalty after the halftime hooter had sounded. The forwards set the play, Matfield provided the link in midfield, and centre Wynand Olivier sent a cutout pass for Van den Heever to score untouched on the overlap.
The Bulls continued to claw back with Steyn's third penalty in the 52nd to tie it up at 16-16, only for Michalak - who replaced the inconsistent Lambie as goalkicker - to send the Sharks ahead again.
Terblanche and centre partner Meyer Bosman were stopped a metre short of the tryline within seconds of each other as the Sharks looked for the knockout blow.
But Mvovo squeezed in for the decisive score after Lambie's half-break and offload put No. 8 Ryan Kankowski clear and he gave the final pass to Mvovo.
The Bulls launched one final effort and Hougaard rounded off an overlap on the left wing in the 77th to give the champions a glimmer of hope of keeping their title defence alive - but the Sharks hung on to possession and closed out the game.
Springboks Matfield, Du Preez and Botha - all World Cup winners in 2007 - are unlikely to play another competitive game for the Bulls. The 34-year-old Matfield is in his final season and Botha and Du Preez will move to overseas clubs next year.
"For the guys that maybe have played their last game, thank you very much," Matfield told the crowd. "It's been a fantastic 10 years."
Sharks 26 (Stefan Terblanche, Lwazi Mvovo tries; Patrick Lambie conversion, 2 penalties; Frederic Michalak conversion, penalty, drop goal), Bulls 23 (Gerhard van den Heever, Francois Hougaard tries; Morne Steyn 2 conversions, 3 penalties). HT: 16-13.
