Stormers coach John Dobson was left seething over missed opportunities and a dubious late decision following his team's gut-wrenching one-point loss in the Investec Champions Cup at Stade Mayol. Despite a late rally, the Stormers were thwarted at the final hurdle, a situation that left Dobson visibly agitated.
"I was very impressed with the fight. We needed to score twice with eight minutes to go, and we should never have been in that position," Dobson commented. The game reached a boiling point when the Stormers were awarded a yellow card and a penalty for a cynical infringement at the maul by Toulon, instead of what many believed should have been a penalty try. The climax of frustration came shortly after, when a potential Stormers try was disallowed following a TMO review.
"We had to adapt to some EPCR interpretations. In the URC – which is obviously our day job – when you run into the maul like that and it gets brought down, it’s clearly a penalty try. But not in the EPCR,"
Dobson expressed. He further lamented the final TMO decision: "Obviously a bit frustrated at the end there. Once it goes to the TMO then maybe can’t see the grounding and the on-field decision for some reason is ‘no try’."
"What’s frustrating for us is that [Charles] Ollivan is clearly inside the field of play on the ground. I believe André [Hugo-Venter] got it down but I don’t understand why it wasn’t awarded. A very frustrating way for the game to end."
Despite leaving France without a win, Dobson praised his team's grit in one of Europe's most formidable rugby venues. "Now we have to focus on the URC. We would’ve loved to have won this game at one of the cathedrals of rugby, but we were maybe not quite good enough in some areas," he reflected. He pointed out the lack of usual scrum dominance and the overall messier play but urged his players not to lose heart, acknowledging their robust performance.
As the Stormers wrap up their Champions Cup journey, their focus shifts back to the URC where they face upcoming matches against Connacht, Glasgow, Ulster, and Cardiff.
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Stormers coach John Dobson was left seething over missed opportunities and a dubious late decision following his team's gut-wrenching one-point loss in the Investec Champions Cup at Stade Mayol. Despite a late rally, the Stormers were thwarted at the final hurdle, a situation that left Dobson visibly agitated.
"I was very impressed with the fight. We needed to score twice with eight minutes to go, and we should never have been in that position," Dobson commented. The game reached a boiling point when the Stormers were awarded a yellow card and a penalty for a cynical infringement at the maul by Toulon, instead of what many believed should have been a penalty try. The climax of frustration came shortly after, when a potential Stormers try was disallowed following a TMO review.
"We had to adapt to some EPCR interpretations. In the URC – which is obviously our day job – when you run into the maul like that and it gets brought down, it’s clearly a penalty try. But not in the EPCR,"
Dobson expressed. He further lamented the final TMO decision: "Obviously a bit frustrated at the end there. Once it goes to the TMO then maybe can’t see the grounding and the on-field decision for some reason is ‘no try’."
"What’s frustrating for us is that [Charles] Ollivan is clearly inside the field of play on the ground. I believe André [Hugo-Venter] got it down but I don’t understand why it wasn’t awarded. A very frustrating way for the game to end."
Despite leaving France without a win, Dobson praised his team's grit in one of Europe's most formidable rugby venues. "Now we have to focus on the URC. We would’ve loved to have won this game at one of the cathedrals of rugby, but we were maybe not quite good enough in some areas," he reflected. He pointed out the lack of usual scrum dominance and the overall messier play but urged his players not to lose heart, acknowledging their robust performance.
As the Stormers wrap up their Champions Cup journey, their focus shifts back to the URC where they face upcoming matches against Connacht, Glasgow, Ulster, and Cardiff.
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images