CALDICOT are in the middle of a confidence-sapping run of defeats, stretching back to the autumn, with a 28-0 thrashing at Ynysddu the latest for coach Kevin Shuck's side, writes Keith Fairbank.

Looking for rare positives in a display lacking in quality, Shuck said: "There were no real positives to come out of the game, to be honest. It was a real diabolical display to reflect on the club.

"We scrummaged well, and Chris Andrews, Simon Brett and Carl Hereford did well at the back, but that was about it. Our line-outs didn't function and we didn't ruck and maul as we had worked on. Nothing was coming off on Saturday."

But Shuck had no excuses, adding: "It was a heavy pitch, but it's the same for both sides. And I take nothing away from Ynysddu - they played really well and had us well beaten.""

Next up for Caldicot RFC is an away trip to fellow strugglers St Joseph's, kick off at 2.30pm this Saturday.

And Shuck is again looking for an improved performance and a much-needed confidence boost.

He said: "We've been trying to do different things in recent weeks, but they're just not working. We'll be working again in training at getting those things right.

"Our problem at the moment is when we go behind, it's dj vu every time and we don't fight back.

"We need to put points on the board, preferably early on before we're down."