Nathan Sharpe speaks up for poor performances – Super Rugby update
Nathan Sharpe, the Western Force admits that there is a need of acceptance in his side to the fact that there is more than enough effort required to make something out of their weak Super Rugby season this year.
Nathan Sharpe’s side has seen three consecutive defeats, which cemented their standing in Australian Conference to the bottom, with only twelve points under the belt. The latest defeat was against Waratahs, who thrashed them by a hammering 31-3 point difference.
Western Force is all but out of conflict for the coming phase of this season’s campaign and the Australian old hand, next to Richard Graham the coach, will be looking forward to push and raise their squad’s morale for the rest of the games.
Sharpe believes that it’s a tough call for his side and all they need to do is to keep thir nerves intact.
He said, “It's a test of character. When you're faced with a challenge, you want to see how guys react to that and the resolve of the team. The beauty of this competition is there is no hiding. We front up next week and Monday is back with our nose to the
grindstone.”
He admits that this kind of position in a league can cause a lot of moral damage and lack of motivation within the squad. On the other hand, Graham is very content about what is going to happen on Saturday. He made no excuses to cover up the weak performance
of his team and said that fans will not be disappointed this time around.
He said, “Clearly Saturday wasn't what we wanted. We met a good side and we were outclassed right across the field. At half-time, the Waratahs had 71 percent of the territory, so we were always under pressure and we lacked the sting we previously had.”
It was noticeable that James O’Connor wasn’t impressive from his newly given position at back. He was brought from fly half to full back this season.
Graham added, “We probably didn't value possession for any long periods of play to actually get anyone involved in the game.”
Graham was impressed by the game displayed by Ripia and Cameron Shepherd. Both of them were sent off the field though, in second half, when they had to face a fierce tackle.
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