Stand-in Western Force skipper Sam Wykes says the team's horror start to the Super Rugby season shouldn't be treated like a death - at least it's not unfamiliar territory.
The Force's finals hopes are already hanging by a thread after posting just one win from their opening five games.
The task doesn't get any easier for the Force, who face off against the Bulls (Pretoria) and Sharks (Durban) over the next fortnight before a bye.
Although four straight losses can make for a sombre mood, Wykes doesn't want his teammates to get too down about things.
"We've been down this path many times before," Wykes said.
"In the history of the Western Force, we've been through some tough times in terms of results. So we know how to bounce back from it.
"At the end of the day, we're reviewing football. No one has died or anything like that.
"We're going to keep it positive, and we'll keep fighting for it."
The Force's slow starts to matches have become a concern.
They trailed the Rebels 15-0 after 33 minutes last week before putting in a strong second-half display to lose by just four points.
Wykes said it was imperative for his team to come out firing against the Bulls.
"The margins between winning and losing could be a moment, or 20 minutes in a game," Wykes said.
"We're not putting in a full 80 minutes together.
"That first 20 minutes against the Rebels was terrible.
"To the credit of the boys, we do fight. But we're just making it harder on ourselves. We're a tight unit. We'll stick together."
The Force are hopeful prop Pek Cowan can recover from a shoulder knock in time to take on the Bulls.
Sydney prop Guy Millar has been called into the squad as cover.
Winger Luke Morahan (hamstring), Angus Cottrell (ankle), and full-back Dane Haylett-Petty (foot) are all a chance to return against the Bulls on Saturday night.
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