Sale Sharks' executive director of sport Steve Diamond slammed his side's performance after they slumped 30-24 to Exeter.
Errors leave Sale boss fuming after defeat
Sale Sharks' executive director of sport Steve Diamond slammed his side's performance after they slumped 30-24 to Exeter at Edgeley Park.
"We probably dropped the ball 11 times before half-time and Exeter came into our final third three times and scored three tries, and if we're going to play like, we're going to get nowhere," Diamond said.
"We've kept it very simple in the last month in terms of coaching and how we're going to do things and we've got to look at ourselves as coaches, whether we prepare well and we've got to look at the playing squad that we've got. That's why there's an overhaul, that's why changes are afoot.
"We see Charlie Hodgson today was outstanding. He's running everywhere, orchestrating the ball and nobody's going through the gaps for him.
"The positive for me is that there are nine sides which are ahead of Sale in the league and haven't got Charlie Hodgson. We won't replace him but we will replace him with another player."
Togetherness
Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter praised his side's revitalised team spirit after they ended a four-game losing run.
"I think what we saw today is something, if we're honest, that we haven't seen over the last month or so," he said.
"Our emphasis this week has been to get back to being a team that people talk about as having togetherness.
"I think what we've done in the last three or four weeks is let that slide and perhaps push on a little too hard and too fast."
Exeter's first away victory since February guarantees that they will finish ninth and Baxter was delighted with the result.
He added: "We targeted this game, we actually talked about taking a bit of pressure of ourselves, and just saying: 'look coming away in the Premiership is tough but let's go out there and put in a performance that we can be comfortable with'."
