John Dobson has called for the complete elimination of the croc roll from rugby after Deon Fourie sustained a medial ligament injury from one in the Stormers' 38-38 draw with Ulster in the URC.
Iain Henderson was initially sin-binned for the incident in the first half before a bunker review upgraded the sanction to a 20-minute red card. Despite the numerical advantage, the Stormers were forced to rescue their draw with a penalty try in the final minute.
"Deon has damaged the medial ligaments in his knee," Dobson told reporters. "That has to be removed from the game, and the player must be removed for the whole match. We'll have to learn that no player can survive that. If we don't take that out, there's no room for turnovers, and if there are no ball stealers at the breakdown, the game becomes like rugby league."
Dobson stopped short of accusing Henderson of deliberate foul play. "I don't think a player does that or wants to injure a guy's knee deliberately. I think the referee probably got it right. But it was a very big blow for us, especially considering the form Deon is in."
The croc roll was outlawed by World Rugby two years ago, but Dobson's comments reflect ongoing concern that enforcement and player habits have not fully caught up with the law change.
Beyond the Fourie injury, Dobson identified four missed try-scoring opportunities as the key driver of frustration — two pick-and-go penalties conceded, an Evan Roos knock-on on the tryline, and a further knock-on when the Stormers were played in. "Those are four clear tries, and that's without the general what-ifs," he said, adding that discipline — offside penalties and soft concessions — compounded the pressure his side faced.
The draw drops the Stormers to second in the URC table after Glasgow Warriors won on Friday, though they remain in contention for top spot.