Visibly enraged Sharks coach Robert du Preez described part of the officiating in his side's Super Rugby quarter-final defeat to the Lions at Ellis Park on Saturday as "bad".
Asked to comment on some of the decisions that went against his team during the bruising but exciting encounter in Johannesburg‚ Du Preez did not hide his unhappiness.
“I can’t comment on bad officiating you know that‚ you have to make up your mind whether it was right or wrong‚” he said.
Du Preez heaped praise on his players after they nearly stunned the Lions in their own backyard with a near-flawless attacking performance.
The visitors even led the match going into the last four minutes of the match.
“The guys were great today‚ every single one of them‚" he said.
"We are very pleased by the way the match went‚ unfortunately the result did not go our way. It was a fantastic performance by the boys. We could not have asked for more. They put their bodies on the line and left no stone unturned.
"We lost a little bit of momentum 10 minutes after the half-time break and the Lions did very well to get two tries, I think.”
The Sharks were leading the Lions 21-20 with four minutes remaining on the clock‚ but Ruan Combrinck got a chance to win the match after opposition winger Lwazi Mvovo was pinned for offside about five metres in the home side's half.
Combrinck did not disappoint as he kicked a long 60-metre penalty that effectively won the match for the home side and ensured a home semi-final against the Hurricanes from New Zealand on Saturday.
- TimesLIVE
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