CONSISTENCY is Gloucester's nemesis – and oblivion awaits unless the Cherry and Whites can level out their big-dipper shortcomings, believes Mike Tindall.
Gloucester's player/backs coach is sick of Kingsholm's theme park rides.
The frustrated 34-year-old centre is not interested in thrill seeking – he wants Gloucester to find and sustain performances packed full of pride.
Slamming Friday's abject 32-9 Sale defeat, Tindall admitted sliding from Harlequins victory, to Biarritz defeat – and then onto the debacle in the North west – marks one of this term's most frustrating shifts.
And he said Saturday's Saracens clash at Kingsholm (kick-off 3pm) could prove pivotal in defining Gloucester's entire season.
The Otley-born midfielder still believes Gloucester can qualify for the Premiership play-offs – but appreciates the size of the task to see off Saracens and Exeter in their final league action.
Tindall explained: "We've got to find consistency.
"Even in the Biarritz game there were clearly disappointing elements but we still created chances.
"But you can't rollercoaster to where we were on Friday, and that's what we've got to find this week.
"Things do intensify towards the end of the season, but we're still playing for the possibility of the play-offs.
"If you end up dwelling on things and letting it affect what happens next then you can find yourself in trouble for being caught in the past.
"The good thing is we have a massive challenge like Saracens coming to us this week.
"They are one of the top teams and we'll find out this weekend where we are.
"We'll find out a bit about our character I would like to think.
"We said if we'd won our three games we could almost guarantee top four.
"This is a big spanner in the works no doubt about that.
"But we've got to go out there and understand that winning those two games can still get us in there."
Admitting Gloucester were a sorry shadow of their capabilities on Friday, Tindall said the Cherry and Whites' inaccuracy and lack of cohesion cost them any chance of victory.
Even after conceding three sloppy first-half tries, Tindall still felt Gloucester would exert some control after the break.
But he said it was a shock that the Kingsholm men never gained a single period of dominance – and only have themselves to blame.
Powerful Saracens provide Gloucester's penultimate regular-season league match of the campaign on Saturday.
Tindall conceded the Cherry and Whites have a chance to restore pride, repay supporters – and control how their season will be viewed, this weekend.
He continued: "It wasn't good enough, it wasn't an ideal start to say the least.
"But I thought in the first-half we had some opportunities.
"We made too many errors, too many bad decisions, we got into too many good positions that we didn't control.
"Credit to them for their defence and breakdown work.
"But even with 20 minutes to go I still thought if we'd scored a try we would break them.
"We weren't good enough, we can control a lot of that in terms of handling errors.
"We've got to go away and look at that.
"It takes us back to Sarries.
"Yes we've got to take it on the chin and be up front about it, but we've also got to move on as fast as we can, to prepare for this weekend.
"We've got the top team in the Premiership coming to our house, and we've got two games left to show what we're really about."
