The DHL Stormers had been trailing by eight points but two minutes from time they scored a converted try that brought them to within one point of Toulon at the Stade Mayol in their absorbing and hard fought Investec Champions Cup round of 16 game.
Trailing 28-27 and playing in front of the passionate and hostile home crowd who were desperate to see their team win, the Cape team put together a rousing sustained multi-phase attack. They showed a lot of patience as they retained possession and drove deep into Toulon territory, and on a couple of occasions they were right in front of the posts and you’d have expected Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu to drop back into the pocked and snap over the winning drop-goal.
But the Stormers clearly felt their forwards had momentum and as you will see in the video it does look like lock Adre Smith drives over the line to score. Unfortunately for the Stormers the referee Christophe Ridley, perhaps noting the celebrations of the out on their feet and exhausted Toulon defenders, decided that the on field decision was no try.
That meant that the television angles had to pick up the ball being grounded beyond the tryline, and there was no angle to provide that. Stormers coach John Dobson said it was a try multiplied by two, in the sense that even if Smith didn’t dot down, the Toulon flanker Charles Ollivan played the Stormers player when off his feet. So in Dobson’s mind it should have been a penalty try.
The referee and TMO had plenty of time to make up their mind, and the crowd and watching viewers suffered an agonising wait that eventually went against the Stormers, leaving Dobson and his team gutted. The Stormers coach confirmed after the game that the Stormers players said it was a try but unfortunately for him and his team the decision was made. You can watch it if you haven’t already and make up your own mind.