Head Coach John Dobson of DHL Stormers during the European Rugby Champions Cup, Quarter Finals rugby union match between Exeter Chiefs and DHL Stormers on 8 April 2023 at Sandy Park in Exeter, England Stormers coach John Dobson did not blame referee Ben Whitehouse for his side’s United Rugby Championship defeat to Edinburgh, but he certainly was not happy with some of the official’s decisions. Picture: Simon King/ProSportsImages DPPI via AFP
Though the Stormers were way below par in their 38-7 defeat to hosts Edinburgh in their United Rugby Championship (URC) clash over the weekend, they were in no way helped by a number of confusing referee calls according to the Cape side’s coach John Dobson.
Dobson was left frustrated with a number of calls made by referee Ben Whitehouse, but he did mention in the same breath his team’s poor discipline was on the night.
The Stormers conceded 15 penalties to the six of Edinburgh, and that statistic alone proved costly.
While voicing his annoyance, Dobson did not want to sound like it was a case of sour grapes.
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“I don't understand how we didn't get the scrum advantages in the game, I could go on, but I will keep that in-house,” Dobson said
“We had a breakdown in the middle of the field, the ball clearly gets scraped back by them [out of the ruck] and they end up in our 22 with a line-out. That was not deemed a penalty because it wasn't in the act of scoring a try. We were very frustrated with what happened out there.”
Edinburgh also outscored the Stormers by five tries to one, but that penalty count was indeed the nail in the coffin.
“Our discipline was poor, I don't know the penalty count yet, but it's going to be a new record for the Stormers. We made a lot of mistakes and then went into chase mode. Leading up to their first try,
“It was five penalties in a row and a team would score (against you). We had Edinburgh under the pump when we played direct but then we went away from that.”
Looking ahead, the Stormers will be back at home at Cape Town Stadium for their next two fixtures. Playing at home will hopefully be the tonic the Stormers seek to right the ship, Dobson said.
“The next two will be crucial against Munster, the 2023 champions, and Glasgow, the defending champions.
“If we can get our fizz back at home, then we will be good for the season. This [winning one from three] doesn't feel as bad as last season's zero from four games. If we get those two right, we will be alive and kicking.”