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'It was a step back' - Blues coach slams team after Sharks loss

February 24, 2019

MacDonald said his team had a "little bit of panic" which didn't help in the 24-22 loss.

Blues coach Leon MacDonald has slammed his side's error-ridden display against the Sharks, having slumped to a 26-7 defeat in Durban this morning.

Having impressed despite a 22-20 defeat to the Crusaders last weekend, the Blues were outclassed away to the Sharks, falling in a four tries to one defeat, now winless from their opening two matches of the 2019 season.

Speaking afterwards, new coach MacDonald didn't hold back in his assessment of what went wrong.

"It was a step back, no doubt about it," he began.

"The most disappointing thing is we were responsible for most of the mistakes.

"We're all very disappointed with the performance."

MacDonald also pointed the finger at the conditions, saying that the Blues failed to acclimatise to the tricky surroundings.

"We struggled to cope with the heat, really battled in that first half and never got our game going.

"The ball was sweaty and slippery and we didn't cope with it.

"In the heat some of our big men struggled to get around the park and we struggled to keep our attacking shape which meant we looked disorganised at times."

The Blues will have to regather themselves quickly, heading to Buenos Aires to face the Jaguares, as they bid to notch their first victory under MacDonald's leadership.

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