They know the problems but the NSW Waratahs are no closer to finding the answers, as they approach the end of a Super Rugby season their captain and coach concede has been poor.
Saturday’s 40-27 loss to the Jaguares was the Waratahs 10th defeat in 14 games and their fifth in seven home fixtures.
Where the Tahs stand in the Sydney sporting pecking order was painfully underlined by the attendances for the two sporting fixtures in the Moore Park precinct on Saturday.
Their game attracted a crowd of just under 11,000, only marginally better than their lowest ever Super Rugby home attendance.
The AFL game next door at the SCG, which finished half an hour before the Tahs game started, drew almost 33,000 fans even though the surging Sydney Swans didn’t have a particularly alluring opponent in a battling Gold Coast side that lacked star player Gary Ablett.
The die-hard Waratahs fans witnessed an all too familiar story.
The now customary awful start, the abundance of missed tackles, yet another yellow card and the brief but ultimately futile burst of points.
“That game sums up our season, is completely reflective on our season, good in bits, bad in most,” captain and flanker Michael Hooper said.
For the first time in a Super season, NSW have failed to win any matches against overseas teams.
But as Gibson pointed out, the Tahs have had problems beating teams from anywhere.
The fact that we’ve only won four games, that’s a poor season,” Gibson said.
“It’s getting back to that resolve and not wanting to concede points and thats a huge area for us for next season.”
NSW have leaked 482 points, an average of 34.4 per game.
Even the indefatigable Hooper, a standout player in a sorry season, couldn’t explain why Gibson’s messages haven’t permeated through to the players.
“We’ve been trying to put our finger on it all year and we haven’t found the answer,” Hooper said.
“There’s probably a lack of belief there in what we’re trying to do.
“We get to a certain point where our backs are against the wall and it looks like we’re too far out of it, and we just play amazing rugby.
“We’ve done that against the best teams this year, that’s a real positive of the season.
“The issue has been the starting and having that belief from word go.”
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