Exasperated coach Daryl Gibson lambasted his NSW Waratahs for a "rubbish" performance but denied their Super Rugby season was in tatters after Sunday's shock loss to the Melbourne Rebels.
The Waratahs are languishing nine competition points behind the Rebels and Brumbies following their error-riddled 21-17 defeat at Allianz Stadium.
The 2014 champions bombed countless try-scoring opportunities with some dire last-pass execution and badly missed injured backline ace Kurtley Beale.
Gibson said the Tahs face a fortnight of home truths and soul searching before hosting the Brumbies in a do-or-die derby in Sydney in a fortnight, following a round-seven bye.
"That's a fairly low point in our season right there," Gibson said after the Waratahs trailed the Rebels 21-3 at halftime.
"Some of that stuff out there was rubbish.
"It's a case of just having a good assessment exactly individually and as a team where we're at and being really honest about that.
"We created enough opportunities to win that game easily, so I'm not going to hide behind 'we didn't have so and so out there'.
"At fundamental points of the game, we weren't good enough to execute.
"When your catch and pass is letting you down under pressure, that's difficult.
"For us, if we're going to be a ball-in-hand team, we're going to have to be much better in that area."
Despite his frustration, Gibson refused to write the Waratahs off as a title force.
"Has the season bolted? I don't believe so," he said.
"We've lost three, there's a long way to go and we're very optimistic that we can turn it around."
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