Sale boss confident of survival

Jones: relegation battle

It's tough at the bottom of the league but I certainly believe if we keep raising the performance as we did today we will get out of this ... The last thing we need to do is panic. We have to keep believing in what we are doing.

Kingsley Jones
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Sale Sharks director of rugby Kingsley Jones remains confident his side will avoid relegation from the Guinness Premiership despite suffering their eighth defeat in a row in all competitions.

The Sharks went down 15-7 at home to Northampton Saints and, thanks to Leeds Carnegie's victory over Saracens, they are now bottom of the league table.

Jones felt a lack of a cutting edge had played a big part in his side's defeat but is sure they are good enough to come through their relegation battle.

"I thought the performance was much better," he said. "We created opportunities but unfortunately we didn't take those opportunities.

"At the start of the game we gave away a lot of penalties and were let off the hook by some poor attempts.

"In this game it's all about taking your chances and I don't know how many times we were over the line or on the line and gave possession away, and that's the difference.

Clinical

"Northampton were clinical, they are a very good side, probably the form side (in the league) but it doesn't make it any easier to take defeat. We have lost at home and we are sat at the bottom of the Premiership.

"I have been at the club for six years. I have been at the top quite a bit of those six years fortunately. That's easy, it's now where you find out a lot about people.

"It's tough at the bottom of the league but I certainly believe if we keep raising the performance as we did today we will get out of this.

"If we win our game in hand against Wasps we will leapfrog up the table. The last thing we need to do is panic. We have to keep believing in what we are doing."

Northampton led 7-0 at the break thanks to Paul Diggin's try, converted by full-back Bruce Reihana, but could have been much further ahead as fly-half Stephen Myler missed four straightforward penalties. Charlie Hodgson and Lee Thomas failed with a penalty attempt apiece for the Sharks.

Chris Ashton then went over for a well-crafted try after the break and Shane Geraghty slotted a penalty to seal the win, before Ben Cohen got a late try for the home side and Hodgson missed a last-gasp penalty which would have given his side a losing bonus point.

Jones hopes the point the Sharks missed out on through Hodgson's late miss will not prove vital at the end of the season.

"There are lot of missed tackles and kicks at the end that can come back and haunt you, let's hope it doesn't but we can look at it subjectively and say Myler missed kicks as well, so that's the way the game goes," he added.

Northampton boss Jim Mallinder was pleased to see his side come away from Edgeley Park with their first league win at the ground.

"We created a lot of opportunities in the first half and were disappointed just to have that one score at half-time," he said.

Happy

"But it is tricky to come here and win and we'll be driving up the motorway happy with the four points."

Mallinder refused to be too critical of Myler, despite the fly-half missing 12 points in kicks at goal.

"It was one of those days, the pitch isn't brilliant but I am sure he won't blame that," continued Mallinder.

"The first two went to the right and then he overcompensated for the third. He played well all-round and will work on it this week."

Mallinder was in charge at Sale from 2001 to 2004 and admitted he was sad to see his former club struggling.

He said: "It's disappointing to see them in this position. As a director of rugby all you can do is concentrate on your own job, but I think they have some quality players. Their half-backs could be key and they have some good strong ball carriers."