Deon Fourie has blamed Leinster for unsportsmanlike conduct that contributed to the Stormers’ lineout struggles in Dublin on Saturday night.
The Stormers went down 36-12 against Leinster in the Irish capital and, in the post-match press conference, John Dobson highlighted nagging problems with the lineout.
“Our frustration probably started early on with the lineout, with us losing too many of our own ball,” said Dobson. “It was the same case in Paris last week. Once you’re losing lineouts and giving away penalties, they can get through their phase play in the right areas of the field.”
Leinster enjoyed 60% of the territory as the Stormers lost three of 15 lineouts, which was a marked improvement on the previous week’s 63% lineout efficiency in the Champions Cup reverse against Racing in Paris.
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Fourie called out Leinster for a lack of “sportsmanship” in disrupting the Stormers’ lineout calls.
“I don’t know if I’m allowed to say this, but there’s a certain line where sportsmanship comes into play,” the Stormers captain said post-match.
“I won’t mention names who did it, but them shouting random numbers and shouting while we must call our lineouts, and then we can’t hear what we must do or react on our calls.
“I asked the referee a few times to stop it, but it didn’t work. For me, it’s unsportsmanlike and it’s not good for the game. Otherwise, this game is just going to be a shouting game in the future.”
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