DEFEAT against Newcastle on Sunday exposed the frailties in Sharks’ squad at present.
Nowhere was the dearth of available players more apparent than in the scrum - Newcastle’s decisive try, minutes from the end, was the result of Sharks being pushed off their own ball.
Sale packed down without international props Andrew Sheridan, who is unavailable due to England duty, and Lionel Faure, who has a toe injury.
Eifion Roberts did his best to contain All Black legend Carl Hayman, before, at the opposite end of the front row, 36-year-old Stuart Turner was forced off the pitch after 50 minutes, due to a shoulder/neck problem.
He was replaced by Rob O’Donnell, who aged just 23 still has years to go before hitting his peak as a prop.
Jones said: "Carl Hayman is an outstanding player he is worth his weight in anyone’s team.
"I thought Eifion did a great job starting off against him. Rob is a young kid and is getting better all the time but that’s a massive learning curve for him coming on against Carl Hayman. But there are eight people in the scrum, not just the props, and to concede a try at the end, pushed off your own ball in the scrum is not great and I’ve got to put that right."
It isn’t just in the front row that Jones is lacking in man-power, injuries are causing difficulties all over the park.
In the pack Sebastien Bruno [ankle], Sebastien Chabal [shoulder] and Kristian Ormsby [knee] were all absent due to injury. To compound this Chris Jones and Luke Abraham were unavailable after being suspended by the club pending RFU disciplinary hearings on Monday [See back page for details on the bans imposed].
Jones could struggle too to find cover at scrum-half as Richard Wigglesworth and Will Cliff are out injured with shoulder and facial injuries respectively.
Wales number nine Dwayne Peel was forced off on Sunday due to a hamstring tear which is expected to take a month to recover from. This will be a personal blow to Peel who was hoping to make his first start of this year’s Six Nations for Wales against Italy this weekend.
Full-back Nick Macleod hobbled off after 64 minutes against Newcastle, prompting concerns that he may be forced to join fellow backs Luke McAlister [knee], Andy Tuilagi [shoulder], Rory Lamont [ankle] on the sidelines.
Jones admitted the availability of players for the next two games is a ‘concern’.
He added: "We need to get people out of the physio room and onto the pitch over the next two weeks particularly while the international period is still on.
"I thought the players looked a bit tired [against Newcastle], we need to freshen up, keep everyone fit and wrap them in cotton wool."
The defeat on Sunday makes Sharks final push for a play-off place an even tougher prospect.
"I’m very disappointed with the result and the performance. We’ve lost a lifeline, we haven’t got another lifeline left," explained Jones. "We’ve got to go away and win games.
"Northampton is not going to be easy at all. It’s a place we have to go and get a result now - no question about it."
Sharks travel to Northampton Saints on Saturday. There will be plenty of familiar faces at Franklins Gardens including Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe, Chris Mayor and Ben Foden.
Saints are coached by ex-Sale player and head coach Jim Mallinder.
