Stormers coach has his say on referee Andrew Brace
REACTION: Stormers head coach John Dobson had no issues with Andrew Brace’s refereeing performance in Saturday’s United Rugby Championship Final.
The Stormers snatched a narrow 18-13 victory against their old foes the Bulls in front of 31 000 fans at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.
During the post-match press conference, Bulls Director of Rugby Jake White didn’t hide his frustration with the officiating, especially at the breakdown area.
CLICK HERE to read Jake White’s reaction
However, Dobson believes Brace was in top form with the whistle even when his side was behind on the scoreboard.
“When we were down, I thought he was having an excellent game compared to what we have had in previous weeks,” Dobson said.
“It’s hard to comment because we won the game and it’s tough.
“However, in the coaching box I told myself that whatever happens today, this guy wasn’t having an influence on the game, which is what you want from a referee.”
John Dobson relives the Grand Final emotion 😍#URC | #STOvBUL | #AllFor1 | @THESTORMERS pic.twitter.com/Ke6mI6UStm
— United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) June 18, 2022
Meanwhile, on that breakdown battle, Dobson had plenty of praise for star loose forward Deon Fourie.
“It’s a fairytale. He is a Springbok squad member and he was the man of the match,” said the coach.
“We were seriously under the pump. We were kicking really poorly and we lost ball and for some reason, we stayed in the fight and it was epitomised by Deon at the breakdown.”
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It’s time for a Grand Final story from Deon Fourie 📚#URC | #STOvBUL | #AllFor1 | @THESTORMERS | @Springboks pic.twitter.com/lPtfKL3slP
— United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) June 19, 2022