SPRINGBOK centre Wynand Olivier praised Warriors’ defensive first-half display against Saracens but believes the team let themselves down in the second period at Twickenham.
The South Africa international wants the club to learn from their ‘silly mistakes’ which saw them concede 32 unanswered points in London on Saturday and said injuries within the squad wasn’t an excuse for the performance.
The former Montpellier and Bulls player also believes the Sixways outfit would have had to have played ‘above 100 per cent’ to get a result against the ‘best team in Europe’.
“We buckled under pressure and let ourselves down, but it’s only our second season back in the Premiership. We have to improve, but you can’t underestimate Saracens. They’re the best team in England and Europe,” said the 32-year-old.
“We had a few injuries but you can’t use that as an excuse. We had players to fill those vacant positions and were prepared, but 80 minutes against a side like Saracens took its toll. We had to be better than 100 per cent.
“During the interval Carl Hogg told us the first ten minutes of the second half would be vital. We had to try and stop them from scoring, but silly mistakes cost us and put the pressure on.
“We always knew we wouldn’t have a lot of opportunities to attack, but I thought we played well defensively, especially in the first half. So there were a few positives, but we have to prepare ourselves for Gloucester now.
“It won’t be an easier game than Saracens as every Premiership game is tough. It’s going to be a long season so we have to stick together as a team.
“It’s a big derby and I’m really looking forward to it. Being at home, we want to get the right result.”