Chiefs coach furious

Liam del Carme - Beeld

Johannesburg - It was not their best performance in this year’s Super14, but the Sharks showed championship pedigree in their 22-15 victory over the Chiefs in Hamilton.

The Sharks’ defence, in particular, would have boosted their confidence. In the last five minutes the Chiefs were going all-out to bash the door down.

However, the Sharks did not give in, leaving the Chiefs to reflect on missed opportunities and controversial decisions by the television match official. They crossed the line twice in seven minutes, only to be frustrated by the TMO.

Chiefs coach Ian Foster was furious. “He was obviously looking for reasons not to award the tries,” he said of New Zealander Ben Skeen’s decisions.

“I cannot see why Liam Messam’s try was not awarded.”

Messam insisted he had scored. “I definitely touched the ball down, but he said it had been held up,” he said.

“It was not my arm that lifted the ball from the ground, but it only happened after the ball had touched the ground. We had no luck with the TMO decisions.”

However, the Sharks deserve credit for their defence. They next play the Blues in Auckland on Saturday.