'Astounding and depressing': Stormers boss frustrated by attacks on his players

With the French side holding a narrow 28-27 lead in the closing minutes, the Stormers piled on pressure deep in the opposition 22 against 13 men, repeatedly hammering away in search of a winning try.

However, after sustained phases on the try line, lock Adre Smith was controversially ruled to have been held up just short after the final hooter had already sounded, allowing Toulon to cling on for a one-point victory.

Afterwards, the Stormers were heavily criticised for not moving the ball wide against 13 men, while flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu also came under fire for not positioning himself for the easy drop goal.

But Dobson reckons both of those options were not the percentage plays in that situation, and that Smith had actually scored the winning try, despite the referee ruling that the ball was held up.

"Let me just say this clearly, the drop goal was never on," he told reporters on Monday. "We were going to get over the line. Adre Smith scored. It's that simple.

"Throw it back to Sacha, it's a 50-50. You go wide, it's way too long... we're defending 50-50. It was never part of the plan. So it's certainly not Sacha's fault," Dobson said.

Dobson was also irked by the criticism aimed at Stormers captain Salmaan Moerat, after he announced he will be leaving the franchise and heading to France at the end of the season.

"I just don't understand the world we live in now, when you can destroy a guy like Salmaan, or question a guy like Sacha, who is clearly a generational player, as it's done in the social media of this world," Dobson said.

"It's just absolutely astounding and depressing.

"Salmaan puts his body on the line every time for this team. He's a child of this community, and people are saying good riddance?

"I just don't begin to understand it, and it's depressing to be honest."

The Stormers boss added that the reaction had gone too far, and that they felt an increasing need to protect their players.

"We have a duty of care towards Sacha," he added. "That's part of the reason we manage him the way we do.

"Sacha is our No 10, no question," he added. "Salmaan has given everything to this team. The criticism is just not justified."

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