WATCH: Stormers tunnel scuffle, questionable referee calls

· The South African

The Stormers’ URC campaign came to an end on Saturday as they slipped to defeat against Leinster, and on the balance of play, there can be very few arguments.

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However, referee Hollie Davidson and her officiating team faced some understandable scrutiny following the match after some critical 50/50 decisions that went the home side’s way.

The Stormers will be left to lament their own errors and ill-discipline, though, which saw Leolin Zas sin-binned for a deliberate knock down, while Ruan Ackermann received a red card for a dangerous clean out. There was also a yellow card shown to Salmaan Moerat, but this was the most heavily disputed call of the match.

Immediately following the Ackermann incident, Leinster’s Jamison Gibson-Park sniped through to score the match-securing try, and Davidson then yellow-carded Stormers lock Salmaan Moerat for “cynical play” in the build-up.

Replays appeared to show Moerat simply raising his leg while prone on the ground after a tackle, leaving many pundits baffled as to what else he could have physically done.

Many social media users were in uproar as the Stormers ultimately saw any hopes of a comeback fade away.

There was also another unsavoury incident at half-time when several players were involved in a scuffle as the two teams walked down the stadium tunnel.

The incident set a hostile, niggly tone for the remainder of the match.

YOU CAN WATCH THE STORMERS INCIDENTS BELOW

No excuses from coach John Dobson

Stormers boss John Dobson said the yellow card dished out to Moerat was a “little confusing”, but added that it all came about because of the pressure exerted by the home side in a 20-11 victory.

“I told the guys at half-time we won’t win this game if we don’t stay 15 men on the field, but some of those things (yellow cards), they were putting us under pressure,” he said.

“Foul play is foul play. When (Leolin]) Zas does that (attempts an intercept and is penalised for a deliberate knock-on) we are under pressure there. When Salmaan is not rolling away, we are under pressure there.”

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