Aviva Premiership
O'Shea 'furious' with Quins after defeat
ESPN Staff
September 28, 2014
Exeter's Jack Nowell breezes through an attempted tackle © Getty Images
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Conor O'Shea said he was "furious" with his Harlequins side in the wake of their 36-13 loss to Exeter on Sunday.

Quins have slipped to ninth spot in the table and are currently battling an ever-growing injury list but O'Shea tore into his side as he saw them fall to their second loss this term.

"We didn't look like a top side out there and when you give as much ball away to an opposition as we did - not taking anything away from Exeter - then you are not going to sustain any momentum and you are not going to be in the game," said O'Shea. "I am pretty emotional and furious because you just cannot play the game when you cough up the ball as easily and make as many basic errors as we did.

"We have to rectify it and, as I said a couple of weeks ago, you'll see the character of people. It is just not good enough and the season could slip away from us very quickly if we don't act quickly. You write your own script and you have to bounce back - that is what sport is about - having won two and lost two.

"We have to put that right starting, with London Welsh at home next week. If I were them then I would be looking at us and saying that we'll give them a crack. We cannot afford to remotely think that when they come to the Stoop."

For Chiefs coach Rob Baxter, he has seen his team take fourth spot in the table and he wants his young side to build on their impressive start to the season.

"The only way that we will know is when we get through our next two matches - away to Newcastle Falcons and home to London Irish," Baxter said. "The proof of the importance of this fixture will depend on those two results.

"If we don't work hard, if we don't get things right now then this result, although great to collect some points at home and beat Harlequins, but ultimately through the course of the season it doesn't add up to very much."

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