The NSW Waratahs will persevere with all-out attack, despite the aggressive approach yielding just one win from their opening three games of the 2018 Super Rugby season.
The Waratahs host the unbeaten Melbourne Rebels on Sunday, desperate for victory to avoid losing touch with the runaway Australian conference leaders.
After conceding six tries on Sunday against the Jaguares in Buenos Aires, and returning from a gruelling two-week tour of South Africa and Argentina with only two competition points from a draw with the Sharks, the Tahs are under pressure to deliver in front of home fans in Sydney.
Star fullback Israel Folau admits an alarming mistake rate has contributed to the Waratahs leaking 89 points in three matches, but is urging teammates not to retreat into their shells.
"Obviously it's disappointing, the last couple of weeks. But, as a team, we've looked at the footage and had a review of the (Jaguares) game and there's plenty of positives out of the game so the guys are still in high spirits," Folau said on Wednesday.
"It's certainly not a lack of skill or anything like that. It's just, I guess, poor concentration at that moment.
"We're playing an expansive type of rugby at the moment, throwing the ball around.
"When you're playing that type of rugby, you're open to a bit of room for error, which is okay for us. We don't want to be playing conservative rugby.
"It comes down to execution and good decision making at the time, under pressure, in game time."
The Waratahs are already nine competition points adrift of the Rebels and can't afford another early-season slip-up.
They will be boosted by the return of Wallabies forwards Sekope Kepu and Rob Simmons in their bid to emulate their 50-23 win over the Rebels in last year's corresponding fixture at Allianz Stadium.
Folau, though, concedes the 2018 Rebels are a vastly different class to last season.
"It's always exciting when you come up against another Aussie team and they're in great form at the moment," he said.
"So it will be a great challenge for us, as a team, coming back from a couple of weeks being away."
Share
