Kerr wants setback to refocus players

Kerr says he was left speechless following Saturday’s defeat against lowly Oxford Harlequins and said: “I’m very disappointed by our performance, I was speechless afterwards, and so was every member of the squad. The players knew it wasn’t good enough and they accepted the criticism after the game.

“We were beaten by a better side on the day. Harlequins came here to get the victory and they wanted it more than us.

“We got a lot of the fundamental elements wrong and as a team, we let ourselves down. There was a lack of communication in the forwards and backs, and we were poor in the tackle.

“There were moments later in the game when we played some good rugby but it came too late for us.”

And Kerr will use Saturday’s defeat as a motivating tool for his players before they resume at Reading. Following the defeat at Harlequins in October, Bulls went on an eight-match unbeaten run, winning seven of them.

Kerr added: “It took the defeat at Quins earlier in the season to make us refocus on our game. After that we went on a long unbeaten run so I’m hoping the same thing will happen this time.

“We need to make sure Saturday’s performance motivates the players and gives us the impetus for when we resume at Reading. The week off can be seen as an advantage or a disadvantage, we need to make sure it’s the former and we will be able to work really hard in training knowing there is not a game coming up.

“We don’t want to get dragged back down the table and into a dog-fight to stay clear of the relegation zone.

“I still believe we are good enough to finish in the top six but we must come back with more desire and tenacity for the game at Reading.”