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Thread: Mitchell far from satisfied

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    Mitchell far from satisfied

    Mitchell far from satisfied
    10/03/2008 12:43:00 PM
    Chris Pike
    Sportal

    Western Force coach John Mitchell is far from satisfied from just challenging but losing a close battle with the top-of-the-table Crusaders and he was left ruing some poor skill errors after leading by 12 points.

    Early in the second half the Force led 24-12 and looked set to win their first home game of the season after winning two from three games in South Africa and Mitchell believes the Force need to start winning those types of games in their third season.

    "We have grown more since the first year and we aren't satisfied with the outcome. We have to learn quickly and can't continue to lose to a flagship team when an opportunity presents itself," Mitchell said.

    "We blew it ourselves. Our execution let us down as the match wore on, but at 24-12 we didn't sustain enough pressure down their end. If we could have, things might have been different but we gave momentum to them and they capitalised."

    It was far from all negatives, though, for Mitchell's men and a performance like that against most sides in the competition would bring victory. The four tries and much of the play was encouraging, as is the continued encouraging form of rugby league convert Ryan Cross and openside flanker David Pocock.

    "The positives were the fact that we kept going at them and stressed them where we wanted to. We were very urgent in support and strong in the carry for 60 minutes and our set pieces were good for the most part. Just the fact that we kept going at it was impressive," he said.

    "Ryan is playing very good rugby at the moment and that is showing that he is adapting to the game well. He's in great condition, a great space upstairs and really believes in himself now."

    "Pocock is a phenomenal athlete and is so focused. He learns and adapts very quickly, is built for the No. 7 position and for the hammering he gets there. He has an international rugby future, but he also has a lot of competition."

    "We are lucky in Australia that we have three openside flankers and then you can't forget (Julian) Salvi at the Brumbies and (David) Croft at Queensland."

    Mitchell now returns to New Zealand to coach his side in games against the Blues and Highlanders. After performing well in South Africa again, Mitchell is now desperate to see his side transfer that form to New Zealand.

    "It's a trip that is important to us. We've had to learn from our two previous years and we are looking forward to it. It's something we've always planned for knowing that we will be away for five of the first six week and this is a very important leg for us," he said.

    "We have a shorter week, which is kind of good as it gets the mind back on the job quicker. We will work hard on our second day and then we fly to New Zealand."

    "Our road trip this year is only nine days, so we go to Auckland and Queenstown and there should be a bit more activity in those two places than our previous two trips."

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    Deans ecstatic with comeback
    10/03/2008 12:00:58 PM
    Chris Pike
    Sportal

    Coach Robbie Deans was ecstatic with the second half comeback at the only ground the Crusaders had previously played at and not won.

    "We anticipated some of the strategies used by the Force, but they were still effective and we didn't respond well to them in the first half," Deans said.

    "Part of that was making the transition from playing South African teams to playing an Australian side, which has a different skill set. They exposed us down the outside channels and created a lot of stress, so our guys had to work very hard."

    "They did that and arrested the initiative back in the second half to get us home. On the back of the three-game tour, they were a little flat at times, but to get home wasn't insignificant here."

    The top-of-the-table Crusaders were pushed to the limit by an energetic Force outfit and Deans was impressed with what he saw from them, but was proud of his players for doing what they do best - pulling out wins no matter the situation.

    "The Force scored first in the second half, but that was against the run of play and we had already started the turning of the tide. When that happens a team can lose its composure and not stick to the task at hand, but our guys stuck at it," he said.

    "They created a lot of grief for us around the contact and slowed our ball, which then drew the response of our blokes visiting the contact areas in too many numbers. That stymied our attack and that was happening on defence as well, but we got better in the second half and that's all it took."

    The Crusaders started the season with a win at home over the Brumbies and now end their three-week road trip with wins in South Africa over the Bulls and Stormers and now in Perth. Deans knows it's just as important to perform at home the next two weeks against Cheetahs and Waratahs, though.

    "We have a foundation now, but it means nothing really. It is great to have those wins behind us, but we have another game coming and you just have to keep going and getting better. If we don't get better we will experience some pain down the line," he said.

    "The guys are looking forward to getting in their own beds and seeing family and friends, but we have two short turnarounds in a row when we get back, so it's not going to get any easier. If we can make this tough start work for us, it will be a good launching pad."

    Captain Richie McCaw overcame an injury scare at training on Thursday and a kick to the eye during the game to lead his side to victory. He was proud of their effort and is now looking forward to getting home.

    "At half-time we were disappointed with our start and we were outmuscled early in the game and that saw us chasing at the break. In the second half we had to get right into and try to gain some dominance and the guys were up for the challenge. Even though it wasn't our best performance, I was proud of the character of the guys to hang in there and guts out a win," McCaw said.

    "Everyone is looking forward to getting home, but we didn't want to have one foot on the plane already. We were keen to finish off well as all the good work of the first two weeks could have been undone with a loss. To get the five points and to look at the three weeks as a whole, we are pretty happy."

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