Sinbad wants response at Kingsholm
September 16 2009
James Simpson-Daniel is convinced that Gloucester need to cut out their indiscipline if they are to challenge in this season's Guinness Premiership.
The Cherry and Whites found themselves on the receiving end of four yellow cards in 40-10 defeat to London Irish last Sunday, which left them short even when the game was beyond them.
Charlie Sharples, Akapusi Qera, Pierre Capdevielle and Gareth Delve were the men involved - the latter three departing in the final ten minutes - and Simpson-Daniel believes they need to avoid a repeat of that Reading debacle.
"The position we were in at the end was no excuse for those yellow cards," he said, speaking to thisisgloucester.co.uk.
"When you have players off the field you don't have the options you need to attack the opposition.
"We needed to chase the game on Sunday but we couldn't because we didn't have enough out there. The yellow cards killed us and that has to change."
After claiming two tries on the opening weekend of the Guinness Premiership season, Simpson-Daniel was then named on the replacements bench for their first away fixture by Head Coach Bryan Redpath.
But following a stern after-match talking to by the Scot's assistant and in the knowledge that is was not a case of being dropped, the winger is now keen to get Gloucester back to winning ways this weekend against Northampton.
"Denis Betts called us in and said we can either hide from it or face up to it," he explained.
"It's all very well going out and playing on the edge of the laws and pushing the boundaries, but you can't go over that edge like we did on Sunday.
"It [upon the team announcement] crept into the back of my mind that Bryan had dropped me but he came out and said straight away that if I was getting dropped he would tell me.
"It was disappointing because I want to play, but I'm also happy to do what the team needs me to do. It won't make me try harder this week, but there will be a bit more hunger I'm sure.
"We are back at Kingsholm this weekend and that's great, but we are fully aware we need to start winning on the road too."