Coach Kingsley wants discipline against Leeds

Coach Kingsley Jones wants discipline against Leeds

Kingsley Jones is preparing for Sale Sharks Guinness Premiership match against Leeds Carnegie this Friday by concentrating on discipline.

Jones admits, “Leeds will be hard to beat. They’ve got a good set piece and they’re desperate for a win. It’s a game that a lot of things hinge on so we really need to improve our discipline in our game.”

The Sharks have given away 34 penalties so far this season which puts them in sixth place alongside Harlequins and London Wasps. “Every team is going to give penalties away. That’s life” said Jones. “If you set yourself targets, maybe get four or six for the team, then that’s good. Obviously people get tired and people make mistakes. This week, against Leeds, we can’t afford to give penalties away because of the territory they will gain.”

After a 16 – 22 defeat against London Wasps last weekend, Kingsley identified, “There were a couple of obvious penalties given to Wasps. It feels like three points were dropped, not one point gained to be honest with you. But we’ve come back into training this week and worked hard with the players so they understand the laws.”

“I’ve explained to the players this week exactly what’s required of them in the tackle area etcetera. We work very hard to make sure it’s clear regarding what they’re allowed to do and what they’re not allowed to do. Obviously, that’s in the perfect world, where they’d pick the ball up and score a try every time I told them to, and be disciplined. Unfortunately, that’s not reality. All we can do is keep working, analysing and making sure everybody does their best.”

Jones warns players ahead of this Friday’s match, “There are some stupid penalties that have to stop and we’ve said from the start of the season that we will select a team on discipline as well. Some players are better with discipline than others so they’ll start in front of them. Ultimately, the Premiership is so tight, discipline will cost you games and we cannot afford that against Leeds at home this Friday.”