Danny Wilson admits Cardiff Blues got what they deserved against Sale Sharks following a disappointing performance in the European Challenge Cup.
The Blues went into the encounter at the top of Pool Two thanks to wins over Lyon and Toulouse but they were unable to keep their streak going.
They never really got going in difficult conditions at the AJ Bell Stadium and the home side handled the weather with far more accuracy.
They led 9-0 at the interval and claimed two second-half tries to put the result beyond doubt.
Wilson was bitterly disappointing with his side’s performance and has now urged them to bounce back during the return match at Cardiff Arms Park on Sunday, December 17.
He said: “Credit to Sale first of all, they played the conditions far better than we did. We overplayed in certain areas, we couldn’t hold onto the ball and had no field position until the last 20 minutes.
“When we did have field position we made too many errors but they kicked well on our back three in really tough conditions and when they got field position they held the ball and played a basic brand of rugby.
“It was snowing, raining, very cold and in those conditions you have to play a certain way, which they did. It was black and white, they played the conditions far better than we did and deserved the win.
“There are certain things we talked about which we perhaps didn’t do so we need to talk about that, the reasons why and put that right, then we will move on to next week.
“Hopefully the conditions won’t be as bad as that, they will suit the brand of rugby we want to play and where we can cause a few problems on a hard surface.
“We have to concentrate on ourselves and make sure we bounce back from a poor performance to get a home win and if we do that we’re back in the driving seat.”
Wilson knows his side must triumph back in Cardiff to remain at the top of the pool and keep alive realistic hopes of qualification.
And while injuries continue to be a problem he hopes his side can give the supporters who braved the cold in Salford something to cheer.
He added: “We’ve had a great start to this group, we’ve played two fantastic games with an away win over Toulouse and a home win against Lyon.
“We certainly haven’t delivered today but our forms been pretty good – we’ve had two good performances and one poor one and next week we need a better performance at home.
“It was great to see so many supporters making the long trip to Sale and we have to make sure we repay their efforts and commitment next week.”