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Sharks' lock Brent Cockbain was massively disappointed after the final whistle on Saturday.

We're Not Alone Says Kingsley

Monday, March 1st 2010

Sale Sharks Director of Rugby Kingsley Jones speaks after the defeat at Gloucester on Saturday.

“The players are on the floor, but I’m still confident we can turn this round.

I was quite – can’t say pleased – content with the first 20 minutes of the second half. Obviously, Gloucester contributed to that. They had the bonus point and maybe took their foot off the gas, but eventually we’ve got players on the field who’d done well but made errors. It was a case of those errors at the end allowing the scoreline to be where it is.

My job is not easy in conditions like this. It’s about how we get back to where we need to be. We’ve got a massive game against Northampton on Sunday. We really need to gain some confidence now and make sure we put things right.

Last week, I was upset. This week, I’m concerned a little bit more.

Realistically, over the last 3 or 4 weeks, our scrum has been a problem. It’s a collective thing. Phil Keith-Roach is doing a fantastic job, and the boys in there are doing their best. Jack Forster may be back in two weeks. Andrew Sheridan is doubtful for the rest of the season. Lee Imiolek will be available to use next week. We’ve got to concentrate with what we’ve got available. It’s a ‘one on one’ battle. You can’t get ten years’ experience in twelve months.

We’ll come back Monday and know that on Sunday the League table will look awful.

It’s [going to be] a tough week for us. We’re at home, but we’ve lost our last two at home. One was against Northampton, but we’ve got to put it right.

There seems to be a myth that we haven’t been in this position before, but we’ve struggled at times in the past and we’ve been able to turn it round before.

We can’t afford to wait for players coming back, we need to start next Sunday. You’ve got to try and be positive. It’s a live game on Sky, so what a great opportunity for everyone to show we’re not as bad as the table shows.

All I can do is keep working hard and to keep believing in what we’re doing, and hopefully the results will come.

We’re not alone in worrying. Four other Premiership clubs will be very concerned right now but I believe we’ll be OK. We’ve got eight games left – and none of them are ‘a given’ – but I wouldn’t swap our fixtures with any other team.”