Coetzee bemoans controversial calls

Editor

Stormers coach Allister Coetzee believes that if more refereeing decisions had gone his side's way they would have made the play-offs.

Stormers coach Allister Coetzee believes that if more refereeing decisions had gone his side's way they would have made the play-offs.

The men from the Cape finished the Super Season in seventh spot on the overall log, four points behind the Cheetahs in sixth who grabbed the final play-off berth. Having lost five matches by seven points or less, the Stormers were left to rue the matches that didn't quite go their way.

Indeed, it's a clash against the Cheetahs, where the Stormers lost 26-24 after a last-minute penalty from Cheetahs pivot Burton Francis, that irks Coetzee greatly.

“I must say that, and I am not shy to say that, two games we were unlucky and poor decisions made by the referees that actually cost us a position in the play-offs,” he asserted.

“I never blame referees, but [there were] two games in which we were really hard done by and that is how the season panned out.”

While refereeing decisions may have played their part, a slow start to their campaign which saw the Stormers win just four of their first 11 matches meant that they were always going to struggle to qualify.

However, Coetzee's troops closed out the season with five victories on the trot, a run which gives Coetzee something to smile about.

“I'm just pleased that we could turn things around,” he said.

“The last five games we worked to get it right, we wanted five [wins] from five [matches] after the [Australasian] tour and we achieved that.”