O'Flaherty: We need to learn from our inquest

SALE’S players had good old northern, say it how it is, conversations with one another earlier this week as the inquest into yet another defeat took place at Carrington.

- JON NEWCOMBE

Last Sunday’s 42-24 reverse down at Bath was the Sharks’ sixth straight defeat in a row in competitive fixtures and has left their play-off hopes hanging by a thread.

Led by the injured Tom Curry and returning England international Bevan Rodd, the players assembled early on Tuesday morning, with the full approval of director of rugby Alex Sanderson, to try and figure out why a season that had started so brightly, with five wins from the first six games, is in danger of falling off a cliff.

“We had honest conversations about where we are and what we need to do,” explained fit-again winger/full-back Tom O’Flaherty.

“We spoke about not compounding errors. I think the story for the last six weeks is that we have been good in patches. But you can’t be good in patches, you need to be good all the time.

“Obviously, there are going to be mistakes in games but it is about not compounding one bad decision or an error with another one and losing momentum because it is hard to get a handle back on the game.

“They (Bath) got a couple of penalties and a quick try and it was a real uphill battle from there.”