Butch James admitted a lapse in concentration cost Bath dear after they let slip a lead right at the death against Toulouse.
Meehan left a little perplexed by performance of Irish referee
Butch James admitted a lapse in concentration cost Bath dear after they let slip a lead right at the death against Toulouse.
The Guinness Premiership leaders looked to have sealed an away win in the Heineken Cup when Nick Abendanon scored a try with two minutes to go.
However the French side hit back in dramatic circumstances, winning a penalty on the right wing that David Skrela kicked to seal a 18-16 victory.
James, who had failed to convert both of their second-half tries from tough angles, admitted the manner of the defeat was tough to take.
Heads down
"We all thought we'd done it when Nick Abendanon got the try," he said.
"But we played for 89 minutes and 59 seconds and lost our concentration for one second - and it cost us the win.
"Either side could have won the game. But we played a lot of rugby and if we'd won it, we would have deserved it.
"Our heads are down in the dressing room, and there's a mixture of anger and disappointment in there - disappointment that we didn't win and anger because we know we threw it away at the end.
"But the bottom line is we're leaving here a better side for this experience. If we're in the same position again, we won't make the same mistake and we'll close the game out."
James was at the centre of the action all afternoon, including at one stage getting taken out in the air as he challenged for a loose ball with Yannick Jauzion.
Bath head coach Steve Meehan admitted that decision was one of many made by Irish referee George Clancy that left him scratching his head.
Odd decisions
"There were a few odd decisions out there, notably the one where Toulouse were given a defensive scrum in front of their own line after Butch James was taken out by Yannick Jauzion," he said.
"He would have scored from that close in, and it might have affected the outcome. We'll have to have a close look at the incident later.
"I'm disappointed for the players because we came here to play good rugby and they delivered that, scoring two tries and keeping Toulouse from crossing our line.
"But it's never over until it's over, and mistakes like the one we made in the last seconds of a contest as close as that one cost a lot in a game where the margins are so tight."
