It has been firmly established that Ovillon's action was legal since his feet were behind the goal line. Problematic law, but there we go. Agree with the penalty try for the collapsed maul, but again, the Stormers 2 men up shouldn't have relied on getting ref calls to win them the game. Take it into your own hands. The drop was on, exploiting the numbers was on.
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Three ex-Springboks have unleashed a torrent of criticism over the contentious refereeing decisions in the Stormers' nail-biting 28-27 loss to Toulon in the last-16 of the Investec Champions Cup. The match, played out in the atmospheric Stade Mayol, saw the Cape Town side edged out amid several controversial calls that went unpunished in the dying moments.
On the popular Boks Unpacked podcast, rugby legends Schalk Burger, Hanyani Shimange, and Jean de Villiers did not hold back their dismay, particularly over two critical incidents that, in their view, should have resulted in penalty tries for the Stormers. Burger was vociferous about a maul collapse eight minutes from time, where the Stormers were denied a clear scoring opportunity by an illegal Toulon action. "Stormers maul, they are going to score a try. Illegal sack, yellow card but no penalty try … That should have been a penalty try," he argued, emphasizing the usual outcomes of similar past scenarios.
"That’s a dreadful decision,"
Shimange chimed in, humorously noting the unstoppable momentum of the maul before it was brought down. "That thing was running to Saint-Tropez. The ball was going out the stadium. There’s no way the Stormers collapsed that themselves. That’s a penalty try all day long."The controversy didn't end there. The game's final play, which saw Stormers lock Adré Smith held up over the line, also drew ire. Shimange pointed out a foul play by Toulon's Matthias Halagahu, asserting, "
"[Toulon lock] Matthias Halagahu went and tackled one of the Stormers players from the side,"
That is a penalty try all day. You can’t debate that." He also questioned the actions of Toulon flank Charles Ollivon, suggesting another missed call for a penalty try due to Ollivon playing off his feet.Burger stressed the importance of legality during scoring plays, "No foul play can take place in the act of scoring a try. If that’s illegal, then that’s also a penalty try. You can’t debate that." Their sentiments were echoed by De Villiers who lamented the inconsistency in officiating that he feels is undermining the sport. "The frustrating thing for me is you see something, you see a decision made, and the following week it’s different," he noted, highlighting the broader implications of such erratic officiating.
The fallout from these decisions is palpable, with Burger concluding, "If there’s a technicality we’re missing, fine, educate us. But if for five years that’s a penalty try and suddenly it’s not, then we’ve lost alignment." This debate underscores ongoing concerns about refereeing standards and their impact on the game's integrity and enjoyment.