Nick Mallet left fuming at refereeing performance after Stormers knocked out of Europe

The Stormers came agonisingly close to a last-gasp winning try in the final play of the game with Charles Ollivon denying Marcel Theunissen after a lengthy TMO review.

That came after John Dobson's men weren't awarded a penalty try when Matthias Halagahu dragged down a maul that was steaming towards the Toulon try line.

Former Springboks winger Breyton Paulse took issue with that decision as he felt that it warranted a penalty try with the French club holding the Stormers up over the line from the ensuing penalty.

"You don't want to blame the referee, I don't want to go there but the one yellow card looked like a penalty try to me," Paulse said on SuperSport after the Champions Cup game.

"That's a questionable decision, why wasn't it a penalty try?"

Mallett agreed and launched a scathing review of English referee Christophe Ridley and his officiating team.

"That's a penalty try, there is no question about it," he said. "Breyty is younger than I am and needs the job longer than I do. So I can honestly say that is a penalty try.

"Collapsing the maul a metre from the line to stop a certain try, it's a dreadful decision from the referee and I will go even further with that final decision at the end of the game was dreadful as well. He was on completely the wrong side of the ruck and he said I thought two hands were under it, how could he say that if he didn't even see the guy go over for the try?

"Added to that, Ollivon is lying on the ground, he says that he is in the in-goal area. If you are off your feet, you are not allowed to play; you can't tackle anyone or play the ball.

"There has got to be a penalty at least. Look, I'm upset for the Stormers because I thought their character and courage were phenomenal. They will learn from this, though."

While Mallett was fuming about the referee decisions, he added that the Stormers didn't handle the final moments of the game well as Toulon were also down two men with Halagahu and Ma'a Nonu in the sin bin.

"They have to learn that there is more than one way to win a game, and they just persisted with the pick and go, and it wasn't getting them a reward against a team that went down to 13 players," he continued.

"In addition to that, you're right in front of the poles. What's wrong with a drop goal, Sacha? There are ways and means of winning a game beyond pick-and-go close to the line. That's what the Stormers will learn."

Meanwhile, Stormers boss Dobson says that his side was 'very unlucky' with that final decision but didn't want to blame the referee.

"I'm proud of our team. It's a tough place to come and play Toulon who are a good team," he said.

"Their attack was wonderful because we've got quite a good defence and they got around us a few times. It was great the way we stayed in the fights and I think we were very, very, very unlucky at the end.

"The guy scored the try, but it wasn't the right circumstance to allow the referee to award it. Our player grounded the ball and I believe him, but it's not the referee's fault, he couldn't see that. To come so close here in a magnificent rugby environment like this, I'm very proud of our team.

"Toulon showed a lot of fight too. Every time we thought we had them, they fought back. So a great game of European rugby, I reckon."