Super Rugby Pacific: Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan refuses to point finger at referee Ben O'Keeffe for final loss to Crusaders

At this stage, all I can say is it hurts, and I'm extremely proud of the season and the way we fronted up tonight.

Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan highlighted this after their 25-20 loss to the Crusaders sparing any criticism for referee Ben O'Keeffe, after a contentious decision cost his side dearly in the Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific final.

In a game of such fine margins, the seven points gained from the one play can be seen as the difference between the Crusaders winning a seventh title in as many years, and the Chiefs' first championship since 2013.

But, while McMillan concedes the moment itself was a key factor in the result going against his side, he didn't want to be drawn into calling the referee into question.

McMillan says the biggest call, momentum swinger, was what he thought was a clear and obvious forward pass, just before halftime.

"He says he does not want to bag the referee.

An inflated penalty count against the Chiefs did the contenders no favours on a night where everything needed to go their way.

On top of that, the Chiefs played 30 minutes at a numerical disadvantage.

McMillan says It is going to be tough to beat the Crusaders when you have three yellow cards.

"The referee's the man in the middle, he obviously deemed that it was. I think that probably played a part in the outcome."

Regardless, the Chiefs' coach will now return to the drawing board for another attempt at the title in 2024.

"We'll reflect once we've had an opportunity at some stage to have a look at the game, and figure out what we could have done better.

Source: newshub

Finals