Sale boss Pete Anglesea was left frustrated after another poor start caused his side to slip to a 21-9 defeat against Harlequins.
Sale boss says Sharks need to cut out early errors
Sale boss Pete Anglesea was left frustrated after another poor start caused his side to slip to a 21-9 defeat against Harlequins.
The hosts ran in two tries in the first 20 minutes, leaving the Sharks with an uphill task from the start, and the deficit proved far too much to overcome.
And a week after being defeated 19-7 by Bath, Anglesea said that the same errors cost them a result this time around.
"We needed to start well but, like last week, we didn't. We made the same mistakes. Our execution let us down," he said.
"We let points in early doors and it's difficult to chase a game in these conditions as we forced too many passes."
The Sharks are currently languishing in 10th place in the Aviva Premiership, but still hold an eight-point advantage over Newcastle and an 11-point cushion over Leeds in the relegation scrap.
Confidence
Anglesea added: "Fortunately, we are not in the mire at present, but we are looking over our shoulders. We need a bit of confidence and a bounce of a ball to go our way.
"We are getting players back - Tom Brady, Andrew Sheridan and Jack Forster - and we have a few more to come back in the next week or so. One or two players make all the difference."
Anglesea confirmed that England prop Sheridan came through unscathed after missing the RBS Six Nations clash with Italy through injury.
"He's fine. Martin Johnson contacted us earlier in the week and wanted him to have a run-out to test his back," he said.
Harlequins director of rugby Conor O'Shea heaped praise on his side's work rate and team spirit after they extended their fine run of form to 10 wins in their last 11 competitive matches.
He said: "I'm very pleased. The conditions were horrific. We started fantastically. It was a reaction to last week's performance at Exeter (a 20-6 defeat).
"In the second half we lacked accuracy but our defence was outstanding. It's unbelievable how hard they work for one another."
