Bath boss Johann van Graan has questioned why three “headshots” on No 8 Alfie Barbeary were not formally reviewed by the match officials in his side’s Investec Champions Cup semi-final defeat to Bordeaux Begles.
The defending champions set up a final against Leinster with a 38-26 win at the Stade Atlantique, pulling away in the second half in a hard-fought affair.
It was Bath’s first semi-final in the competition since 2006, and the game may have materialised differently had three possible high tackles been picked up, including one by influential scrum half Maxime Lucu.
Commentating on Premier Sports, former England internationals Andy Goode and Lawrence Dallaglio both questioned why pertinent replays did not appear to be made available to referee Nika Amashukeli and television match official (TMO) Ben Whitehouse.
And Van Graan felt that more needs to be done to ensure that all of the angles are there to be viewed.
“I thought the officials did a fantastic job but there were three, we believe, headshots on Alfie in the 19th, 23rd and 42nd minutes,” said Van Graan.
“All that we as coaches, players, lovers of the game, ask is that there’s consistency right through every single game. I thought Nika Amashukeli did a fantastic job, and I thought Ben Whitehouse, the TMO, did the best that he could with the angles available to him. However, for such an amazing contest, we need to make sure they’ve got the footage they need.”
Bath had hoped to remain in the hunt for a second European crown with victory in the city where they claimed their first against Brive in 1998, but fell short.
Fly half Finn Russell rued a number of “silly mistakes” after the reigning Gallagher Prem champions exited the competition.
“We’re gutted,” Russell told Premier Sports. “We went behind in the first half, got ourselves back in the second half but we just didn’t really take our chances in that game.
“We gave them soft entries into our 22. There will be a lot of frustration from that game. I’m really proud of the boys, but there’s a lot of frustration from that. At this level you give soft penalties away and make silly mistakes you get punished for it.”
Bordeaux Begles will bid to defend their title against Leinster in Bilbao on Saturday 23 May. Ulster will play Montpellier in the Challenge Cup final a night prior.
