Gold: Blame it on me
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Sharks coach Gary Gold has taken full accountability after his team's dismal 10-52 loss against the Crusaders in Durban at the weekend.
In a game that saw the Durban team booed off the field, and a third red card in three matches handed out to one of their team leaders, Gold could do little else but ask for mercy.
At the conclusion of the match, amidst the jeers and spectators streaming from the park, newest captain Pat Lambie apologised directly to the fans at the stadium.
This set the tone for Gold, who echoed similar sentiments.
"Pat [Lambie] apologised to the crowd after the game, and I will follow suit and apologise to our supporters," the coach said.
"In a performance like that, there is nothing you can do but apologise.
"It is not just the fact that you concede 50 points, it is the manner in which you do it."
Gold went on to describe some of the incidents in the game that proved to him that his team were not prepared for a big match.
"The ball bounces in the 22, and there is no urgency, they drop the ball twice," Gold said of a passage of play in the first half – where hooker Kyle Cooper was left to clean up an innocuous kick.
"You hope the spark will come, and we will shoot through with the ball on the floor and recover – but we did not. We gave them soft opportunities and it was an unacceptable performance."
Gold, in this situation, was not prepared to turn his back on his team, and rather accepted full responsibility.
"I am not going to sit here and rinse the team," he went on.
"I am going to take responsibility for that. I will put my hand up."
The coach did finish off with a positive statement, making it clear that the only way is up, and that they were still in the race for a play-off spot.
"We will be back tomorrow [metaphorically speaking] and I am going to fix it, because I believe in these players," Gold added.
"We are not playing well, and I do not think anybody can deny that – but we are still in the hunt.
"We are going to show some character, it is not the end of the world, because we are not the bottom side of the table.
"But it is time to step up to the plate."
No excuses! Just an apology to @TheSharksZA fans.This is a great bunch of guys who are hurting. We will man up and do all we can to fix it!!
— Gary Gold (@GaryGoldrugbyiq) April 4, 2015
By Darryn Pollock
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