Bryan Redpath's Gloucester are under mounting pressure © Getty Images

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Gloucester boss Bryan Redpath has taken responsibility for his side's dismal run of form, admitting that they are not a hard team to beat at the moment.

In front of their home fans they slumped to a 35-6 loss to Wasps on Saturday, following up a demoralising European drubbing at the hands of Biarritz. The Cherry and Whites have won only two league games so far this season, their opener against a below-par Bath and against basement boys Leeds, and confidence is at a low.

"We didn't create enough pressure to get points," said the former Scotland skipper. "We won't hide from the fact that it was a poor performance and, if you perform like that, you are never going to compete.

"They were excellent and defended well. We are lacking massively in confidence and I don't question our work ethic but there are a lot of things to do. Everyone has to be realistic and know what their part in the game is. If someone has not got a clear understanding of it, they must say. Sometimes people hide behind barriers."

Dean Ryan paid for Gloucester's poor end to last season with his job, and Redpath admits that he will not shy away from some criticism and tough words as he looks to rebuild some belief at one of English rugby's biggest clubs.

"For me, it is a tough time in my career as a coach," he said. "I won't hide from my responsibility and I certainly won't hide from taking responsibility for this heavy defeat at home which is disappointing. We are not making it difficult for anyone to beat us at the moment. It is pretty easy at the moment. There are a lot of one-on-ones that (the players) are falling off and that is the key. It is about you making the tackle on your opposite number.

"If players don't have confidence in each other, then it spreads across the side. At the moment, we are cutting our own throats. You have to be honest and not frightened to admit that you have not performed. We are low and I am very honest about things but it does not mean you have to speak to someone for a week about it. It is always constructive criticism but you have to be man enough to take it."

Another coach struggling to lift his side's league campaign is Sale's Kingsley Jones, who was left fuming on Saturday after centre Andy Tuilagi's sin-binning cost his side as they slipped to defeat against Northampton.

"I don't know what happened, it looks like a guy pushed him when he was on the floor," Jones said. "To be honest I wasn't very happy with him at half-time and I let him know that. He apologised to me and said wanted to go back on the field for the second half and put it right.

"I gave him that opportunity and I think in the second half he did well and kept his discipline. "But there is a fine line between being physical and stepping over the mark. I can understand him being angry but we all know what can happen in a 10-minute period with 14 men at this level. We were hanging on a little bit but, having said that, it could have been 6-3. But that is all ifs, buts and maybes.

"Instead we went in at half-time with a 15-3 deficit when I felt that five minutes from the end of the half we were going to be in a good position."