Rugby: Foster annoyed with TMO

The experience of Ian Foster shone through last night as the Chiefs coach managed to convey his anger at the match officials without a verbal outburst.

His frustration was understandable. Even Sharks coach John Plumtree felt his side had been the benefactors of one oversized dosage of good fortune.

Liam Messam, who was 100 per cent certain he had grounded the ball, was ruled to have been held up five minutes from time. If the try had been given - assuming Stephen Donald had slotted what would have been a relatively easy conversion - the score would have been 22-22.

Instead, as Foster said: "He [the TMO] looked and looked and looked for a reason not to give it. Liam certainly scored his.

"I don't think this was a game won or lost on errors made. It was won and lost on two TMO decisions."

After that, Foster suggested it would be better for everyone to make up their own minds on the importance of those decisions.

Messam didn't need any guidance. "I grounded the ball and he [referee] said I was held up. The first contact was definitely the ball on the ground."

Despite the injustice of it all and the heartbreaking loss, Foster was in good spirits. He saw enough improvement in the set-piece to feel confident that his side have the capacity to learn and adapt.

He felt they made some good decisions in the final 10 minutes to keep the pressure on and there was no question the application and commitment were there.

The question now is whether the Chiefs' haul of three points against the teams that finished first, second and third respectively last season is actually a fair haul.

Maybe the Chiefs are in fact in excellent shape but have just played three of the strongest teams in the competition and come within a whisker of beating them all.

Or are we looking at another season of maybes, of near things that mean the Chiefs reach May and spend it looking back to February and cursing their failure to convert opportunities?

"Any loss is frustrating," said Foster. "We have got three points on the board. We are not out of this competition. There are some good signs but the challenges keep coming."

They do indeed.