REFLECTIONS ON BATH DEFEAT
“I have spent a couple of days reviewing and analysing the Bath game. It is behind us now as we are on to Exeter but you always have to review and get the fixes. It is an 80-minute game. We were in it through 60/ 65 minutes. We believe there was some mental capitulation in not responding from negatives as well as we did in the first 60 so we have tried to address that by way of next job mentality. What drives your mentality and behaviours on that defensive or attacking set. We know through statistics and analysis certain actions, energy exchanges, interactions, which have been proven in other sports, that correlate with performances. Keeping our energy high and channel our emotions in the right way. Being Sharks we can choose which channels we swim down. We swam down some poor channels at the weekend.
“If you can identify that, show it, they feel it which they did, then accept and understand how they can improve it and then you are on to fixes. There is one thing cognitively having that, it is another thing putting it in place. We will be tested in that area against Exeter. I am excited by how well we have coached that and how well they have taken it on. It tests you as an organisation, as a coach. If I am not interested by how the players will respond, up for the fight then I am in the wrong job. I know it is stressful but it is what makes me feel most alive.
REVENGE AGAINST EXETER?
“I am sure they will reference it again in smaller groups. There are bigger things at stake by ways of what we want to get out of the season; that is the overriding motivation. Then you can lean into the personal battles, the dented pride and to a degree to set the record straight. It is in there but it is not the overarching motivation.”
MANAGING GEORGE FORD
“It is part of my decision-making that is always in consultation with George is taken with S&C loading, game minutes, week-to-week loading. Then you have to combine that with how George is feeling psychologically, where his head is at. That takes into account where his life outside the game is at. Last week his wife had a baby girl and he didn’t come in until Friday. We discussed on the phone how he was feeling. He has come back from the Six Nations really positively. That momentum stays with you for a period, but not forever. At some point you do need that rest or else you fall off a cliff or get injured. That is not the case right now but it will occur and I am bound by policy which we all signed up to that I have got to give him a rest in the next two weeks so you can make your deductions on that, whether he is starting or not this weekend or whether he is playing next week. It is multi-faceted but with someone of George’s calibre it is about what he needs and I take his guidance. I think we have a good enough relationship for him to be honest enough to tell me.”
MESSAGE TO FANS AHEAD OF SUNDAY AFTER POOR RUN OF RESULTS
“There are a few reassurances which I can take confidence from. Firstly as a squad we are probably stronger than we have been since the start of the season in terms of personnel with the returning players from injury as well as the improvement in some of our younger players who got exposure over Christmas. We are stronger as a squad. That is on paper, it doesn’t account for form because that comes through way of cohesion, confidence, clarity. I am confident we will find form with this group as we have in the past. The playing group is too good not to do it. The communication, honesty, accountability within the organisation from what I have seen gives me faith that we will. That is not blind faith, having worked with this group I am confident we will find form. The question is when. The stakes dictate it has to be this weekend. We have got to find form this weekend. I think we found some form last weekend in patches. There are certain elements that are coming together. The longer we spend in the saddle the more chance that has of happening. My message to the fans is keep the faith. I have the faith in this group that they will come through.”
INJURY UPDATE
Nick Schonert- injury to bottom of his foot which was impeding on his Achilles, something which has had to be managed through the season, underlying issue would not be sorted just through rehab, had an operation Tuesday (26th March) out for the remainder of the season, should be back in October, plans in place for tighthead cover to help out young lads in James Harper and Asher Opoku-Fordjour, 85-90% success rate recovering from this injury, operation went very well, 9/10 chance he will be better for it
No fresh knocks picked up from the weekend but no-one back for this weekend
OTHER NEWS
Players called their own meeting before coaches’ review to call themselves out, taking responsibility and accountability
Individual decisions for individual players returning from international duty- George’s situation different to Tom Roebuck and Manu Tuilagi, they all will need a rest at some point because they have been involved in a high-intensity situation
PRL and RFU closer than they have ever been, could unify as one entity in the future, working towards a more-aligned future, most players are well-managed
This group know they have the abilities to step up
Got to go hard against a side like Exeter, who are a young, enthusiastic side who thrive off a good start, so we have to start well against them, important to stop them getting on a roll and feeling like they are dominant, we have to be smart in the way we play
Defensively not be quite on point in recent games as it was earlier in the season, defence is our super-power but recently it hasn’t been, attacking in general across the Premiership has got better so it is harder for defences
Coaches have admitted that they could have used a different methodology with players away on international duty and injuries to a different group that is less experienced, massive learning for the coaches