Stormers fans left furious at 'frustrating' refereeing in CT thriller: 'It was a hot topic'

Had the Stormers lost Saturday's United Rugby Championship (URC) semi-final showdown against Ulster at Cape Town Stadium, Scottish referee Mike Adamson would have been well advised to leave the stadium as quickly as possible.

When the final whistle blew, however, roughly 30 000 in attendance had forgotten the many decisions that left them frustrated throughout the afternoon.

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Manie Libbok's conversion long after the full-time hooter secured a 17-15 win for the hosts, who will now meet the Bulls in next weekend's tournament final at the same venue.

It was so very nearly a different story for the Stormers, who were woefully poor for large periods of the contest.

Ultimately, that is why they came so close to an upset exit, but as poor as the Stormers were, many felt Adamson was worse, most notably when he refused to check a potential forward pass that led to Ulster's first try.

It was almost as if Adamson was trying to over-compensate for the pressures that come with refereeing in front of a vocal home crowd, and while Stormers head coach John Dobson was all smiles at the end, he acknowledged after the match that some of the officiating had been "frustrating".

"It was quite a hot topic during the game," said Dobson.

"I think for both the coaching box and the players - leaders on the field - they found it quite a frustrating afternoon.

"I don't know if this goes back to the British & Irish Lions tour, but what's really important to me is that we get equal access to the referees and have the same interactions. Both teams need to be afforded that.

"I don't want to say too much, but it was a frustrating afternoon for us. I don't think we got the relationship we should have got