There was little doubt about Bundee Aki's try for the Chiefs against the Melbourne Rebels © Getty Images

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Match Pack: Beale back but Rebels fall short

Matches: Melbourne Rebels 33 - 39 Chiefs

Tournaments/Tours: Super Rugby

Chiefs coach Dave Rennie says poor decisions made by the Television Match Official (TMO) could have easily cost his team their victory over the Melbourne Rebels.

The Chiefs held out the hosts 39-33 in Melbourne on Friday, but only just as the Rebels launched a late assault for victory.

Rennie questioned why Australian TMO Steve Leszczynski denied fullback Gareth Anscombe a try in the closing minutes, which would have given his team valuable breathing space.

Replacement wing Patrick Osbourne was deemed to have knocked on at the base of the Rebels ruck before freeing up Anscombe to score what would have been his fourth try.

The replays were inconclusive, leaving Rennie frustrated, particularly after Leszczynski had given the green light to a Rebels try minutes earlier, ruling that a dubious pass from first five-eighth James O'Connor to fullback Kurtley Beale wasn't forward.

"I think the quality of the person sitting in the chair's important and you have a feel for the game and they need to have some common sense around some of their decisions," Rennie told Radio Sport. "It feels like they're trying to work out how they can not give that try as opposed to the other way around."

After overseeing another patchy performance from his team, Rennie says there is still plenty for his side to work on ahead of Friday's home match against the Western Force.

However, he will seek an explanation from Sanzar game manager Lyndon Bray, a former referee, over the TMO rulings.

"I struggled to see faults with Gareth's last try and there were a couple of other dodgy decisions earlier on. Our issues are ours. We've got a few things to sort out from a playing point of view but they (TMO decisions) could have such a massive bearing on the game."