Sale director of rugby Kingsley Jones says his side lost to the Dragons on Friday because they did not respect their opponents.
Sale boss says performance "speaks volumes" for players' attitude
Sale director of rugby Kingsley Jones says his side lost their opening LV=Cup clash against Newport Gwent Dragons because they did not respect their opponents.
The Sharks eventually went down 20-9 at Rodney Parade and were on the back foot just as soon as Dragons fly-half Shaun Connor eased through a non-existent Sale defence for a converted try.
Three Charlie Hodgson penalties saw the visitors trail 10-9 heading into the final quarter but scrum-half Danny Lee scored a second try for the hosts, with replacement fly-half Adam Greendale adding a conversion and penalty.
In general, Sale's backline play lacked fluidity and accuracy while their pack failed to cope with the relentless commitment of their opposite numbers.
Former Wales flanker and captain Jones said: "We did not respect the Dragons. We talked all week about coming down here and giving them the respect they deserve and to give away seven points like that in the first two minutes just speaks volumes.
"If you have never been to Rodney Parade, then this is a lesson for everybody. I know what it's like, it's a tough place to come and they have got a lot of confidence in the side at the moment.
"We kicked the ball a lot and it's a very disappointing day, I just wanted us to show a bit more spirit and show that we wanted it as much as the Dragons."
Tough task
Jones now thinks Sale have a tough task on their hands if they are to reach the semi-finals of the revamped Anglo-Welsh tournament.
"We have Leeds next week at home and we fancy ourselves against anyone at home," he said.
"But you would have to say that we are not in a great position in this tournament."
Dragons coach Paul Turner was understandably happy with the result, although he still believed his side's error-count was too high.
"We made a lot of errors and normally if you make that many errors it can come back to haunt you," he said.
"The spirit and defence was excellent and we tried to play some good stuff. It is just a very good win against an almost full-strength Sale side.
"I thought the pack were outstanding, Danny Lee played well behind them and Shaun Connor kicked us into some good positions in the first half.
"There was only one winner there tonight and defensively we were right on the button and with fewer errors we could have had better field position and won by more."
