Frustrated Isuzu Southern Kings head coach Deon Davids has demanded an error freeze from his team as they prepare to face in-form Edinburgh at the Madibaz Stadium on Saturday.
The Kings have lost their past eight Guinness PRO14 matches and Davids is looking for improvement against a Scottish side who blanked his men 38-0 at Murrayfield at the start of January.
In their last game the Kings were pipped 24-17 by the Cheetahs.
“We must not repeat the same mistakes we made against the Cheetahs. We and learn quickly and move forward,” Davids said.
“On the day we let ourselves down in the set piece, if you look at the penalty count most of the penalties came from things that happened in the scrum.
"If you lose your scrum you get penalised and the opposition kick the ball out. So then you loose territory and you put yourselves under pressure.
“That was the swing of the game for us against the Cheetahs. We got ourselves into good positions and then we conceded penalties.”
Davids is also looking for a new cutting edge from his back division. “At the start against the Cheetahs, I felt the intensity of our attack was not there and that is something we will focus and work on.
“We have made improvements in our defence and there were individuals who climbed in and fought back. That was good to see.”
Asked if there was pressure on his team to deliver a win Davids said: “There will always be that pressure and the guys work hard to get that win. We need to focus to improve.
“We got so close against the Cheetahs, so if we can improve by a percentage here and there we will get even closer to that win.
“I was very happy with the way the guys fought back against the Cheetahs and they never gave up. At halftime we were still in it and it was a fight right up until the end. I was pleased with the effort the boys put in.”
Edinburgh coach Richard Cockerill has praised his side’s desire and battling qualities after they earned a home quarter-final in the Heineken Champions Cup with a win over Montpellier.
“It is a good achievement for us, Europe is very tough,” Cockerill said.
“To qualify for a home quarter-final is an achievement for any team and a real statement from us and a step in the right direction.
“The boys deserve the credit they are due. It’s a big step forward for us as a club. We are still developing, trying to catch the big boys.
“It was a big win at Toulon a week ago and now to come back to Murrayfield and beat Montpellier is very pleasing. I thought our set piece was unbelievable.
The Kings will name their team to face Edinburgh on Friday.
Kings need error freeze
Coach Deon Davids looks ahead to Edinburgh
Image: Backpagepix
Frustrated Isuzu Southern Kings head coach Deon Davids has demanded an error freeze from his team as they prepare to face in-form Edinburgh at the Madibaz Stadium on Saturday.
The Kings have lost their past eight Guinness PRO14 matches and Davids is looking for improvement against a Scottish side who blanked his men 38-0 at Murrayfield at the start of January.
In their last game the Kings were pipped 24-17 by the Cheetahs.
“We must not repeat the same mistakes we made against the Cheetahs. We and learn quickly and move forward,” Davids said.
“On the day we let ourselves down in the set piece, if you look at the penalty count most of the penalties came from things that happened in the scrum.
"If you lose your scrum you get penalised and the opposition kick the ball out. So then you loose territory and you put yourselves under pressure.
“That was the swing of the game for us against the Cheetahs. We got ourselves into good positions and then we conceded penalties.”
Davids is also looking for a new cutting edge from his back division. “At the start against the Cheetahs, I felt the intensity of our attack was not there and that is something we will focus and work on.
“We have made improvements in our defence and there were individuals who climbed in and fought back. That was good to see.”
Asked if there was pressure on his team to deliver a win Davids said: “There will always be that pressure and the guys work hard to get that win. We need to focus to improve.
“We got so close against the Cheetahs, so if we can improve by a percentage here and there we will get even closer to that win.
“I was very happy with the way the guys fought back against the Cheetahs and they never gave up. At halftime we were still in it and it was a fight right up until the end. I was pleased with the effort the boys put in.”
Edinburgh coach Richard Cockerill has praised his side’s desire and battling qualities after they earned a home quarter-final in the Heineken Champions Cup with a win over Montpellier.
“It is a good achievement for us, Europe is very tough,” Cockerill said.
“To qualify for a home quarter-final is an achievement for any team and a real statement from us and a step in the right direction.
“The boys deserve the credit they are due. It’s a big step forward for us as a club. We are still developing, trying to catch the big boys.
“It was a big win at Toulon a week ago and now to come back to Murrayfield and beat Montpellier is very pleasing. I thought our set piece was unbelievable.
The Kings will name their team to face Edinburgh on Friday.
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