Coach JP Pietersen bemoaned a lack of concentration and ill-discipline after the Sharks’ 29-12 EPCR Challenge Cup last-16 defeat to Connacht.
The Sharks exited Europe in Galway on Friday night after surrendering a 12-7 half-time lead, with Connacht scoring three second-half tries to seal a comfortable victory and book their place in the quarter-finals.
The visitors, who travelled with a weakened squad, made a strong start and dominated first-half territory and possession, but were unable to turn that control into a decisive advantage.
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“Obviously disappointed with how we finished the second half,” said Pietersen.
“We set ourselves up well in the first half. We dominated territory and possession and to go into the break 12-7 up gives you a lot of confidence going into the second half.
“But in the second half, a lack of concentration and a bit of ill-discipline let us down. We gave away penalties, they kicked into the corners, put us under pressure and took their opportunities when they came into our 22.”
Connacht capitalised on that pressure after the break, with centre Cathal Forde scoring twice and flanker Shamus Hurley-Langton adding another.
“At half-time you always feel like you’re one score away from putting yourself in a strong position, but they defended well,” Pietersen added. “So ja, it’s a disappointing feeling.”
Despite the defeat, Pietersen pointed to positives from the performance, particularly the Sharks’ first-half display in wet, windy conditions and their resilience late in the game.
“There are a lot of positives we can take into the last four [Vodacom URC] games,” he said.
“There are positives from that first half – how we played in these conditions and how we won territory.
“And even at the end of the game, it showed we didn’t give up. We could have easily lost by 50 points with the possession Connacht had, but we stayed in the fight until the last minute.
“That shows there’s grit in the group and there’s fight, which is something we can build on.”
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The Sharks now turn their attention to the URC, where they are currently 10th on the log with four matches remaining – away fixtures against the Ospreys (18 April) and Edinburgh (24 April), followed by home games against Benetton (9 May) and Zebre (16 May).
“Going forward, we just want to put a collective 80-minute performance together,” Pietersen said. “That’s what we’ve been asking for – consistency and an 80-minute performance. We haven’t had that this season, it’s been very up and down.
“We’ve got a couple of injuries, so we’ll reassess, make a plan, hopefully get some players back and then go again for the last four games.
“It’s an opportunity for us to get 20 [log] points from those four games and possibly set ourselves up for a top-eight finish.”
Photo: Brendan Moran/Getty Images
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