AS we prepare to face Sale Sharks on Saturday, we have to play every game now as if it's our biggest.

If we do that, we have got a chance of staying up and that's what we've done in the last two games against Northampton and Leicester.

The Exeter match was a particularly low point for us but since then the boys have been outstanding and possess the mindset that we are going to give it our all from now until the end of the season.

We're not a team that can play badly and still scrape a win, we need to be emotionally and physically on top of our game.

We'd like to get a win under our belts before we play Newcastle away in late March.

We've put in some really good performances lately but I think it's got to the point where we need to get over the whitewash and bag that win.

Sale have beaten us four times this season but we'd take those losses if we can get a victory this weekend.

There are four home games left and we need to try and win all four.

There were a few bruised and battered bodies after the Leicester and Northampton games so we have been given plenty of recovery time this week to keep us fresh.

However, when we do train there's a real edge with the harsh reality that we need to get the win.

Today, though, sees the tribunal following my red card against Northampton.

I just feel really frustrated by it because there was no intention from myself to hurt him (Sam Dickinson) or cause any injury, it was just more an act of trying to get him off me.

Northampton employed some tactics of trying to hold people in rucks and it had gone on quite a bit throughout the game.

It wasn't an actual punch, it was the action of trying to get his arm off me but in the middle of that there was some connection with his face, which made him hit the deck.

The sight of him hitting the floor made it look that much worse.

If I'd have turned round and smacked someone in the face, then I'd have to put up with the punishment, hold my hands up and say I was stupid.

But, when I know the intention wasn't that, it was frustrating to get the red card.

It was quite crucial because we had scored a try to come back into the game and at that point we were going OK.

They were putting a bit of pressure on us but when you go down to 14 men it becomes difficult and quite soon after we went down to 13 when Sam Betty was sin-binned. That was game over then.

But I must say the guys were outstanding, did well not to cave in at the end and stopped them getting a bonus point.