Wallabies halfback Will Genia admits nothing less than a convincing Test victory will suffice against European minnows Italy on Saturday.
Michael Cheika's struggling Australian squad arrived in Padua, near Venice, on Sunday afternoon under mounting pressure after their 9-6 defeat to Wales in Cardiff - their first loss to the Dragons in 10 years.
The defeat was the 10th for the Wallabies in 13 matches, with heat on Cheika growing less than 12 months before the start of the Rugby World Cup in Japan.
Genia said the players were fully aware of the anger back at home about the poor results, but he implored the fans to continue to stick with the team and reinforced that players had faith in Cheika's methods.
"As much as we play for the jersey, ourselves and what we're trying to represent we also play for the fans because they're a big part of the game," said Genia .
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"We do understand their frustration. All I'll say is that all the hurt they're feeling, we feel that too.
"We're never satisfied with a loss. We're the ones out there trying to put in a performance to make them proud.
"As disappointed as they are, we feel that tenfold. We're in a position to try and rectify that and I can promise you we try to do that every day at training and when we play on game day.
"The effort can never be questioned and the passion for the fans as well."
Genia claimed he's been able to rise above barbs aimed at the team on social media and, despite 2018 being an annus horribilis for the Wallabies, he maintained the team are not far away from returning to their status as one of the world's top teams.
"I'm a true believer," he said. "I love this team, I love everything it represents.
"I love the fact that we feel like we're growing in that belief as a group.
"We're working hard on things that are important in terms of consistency, effort and excellence during training. I'll believe until the end, 100 per cent."
The Wallabies now prepare to face an Italian side who beat Georgia 28-17 on Saturday in what was seen as an unofficial test of Italy's right to stay in the Six Nations, where they have not won a match since 2015 and have finished bottom for the last three seasons.
Genia said the Wales defeat, although disappointing, should not mask an outstanding defensive effort from both sides.
"I thought the defence was excellent, to be absolutely honest with you it was a genuine Test match and it was a grind, it was tough, there were momentum shifts," he said.
"We were probably a little bit disjointed in terms of the attack.
"But if I'm honest you've got to give credit to their defence as well, they slowed our ball down.
"They did really well to pressure us at the breakdown and that's what probably led to the attack being a little bit disjointed, which is frustrating, very frustrating."
