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THE Wallabies' brains trust has dressed down its inconsistent players in the desperate hope the message finally sinks in before next year's World Cup.
Australia's over-confidence following a 27-17 victory over England in Perth was hammered in Saturday's second Test in Sydney where coach Robbie Deans blamed a poor attitude for the 21-20 upset loss.
The defeat continues the Wallabies' trend of winning no more than three matches in a row in the past two years and also sees them slip down the International Rugby Board world rankings.
For the first time since Deans kicked off his reign in June 2008, Australia sits out the top three, with France leap-frogging them to join New Zealand and South Africa up top.
Another loss to fifth-ranked Ireland at Suncorp Stadium this Saturday night would likely see the Wallabies fall even lower.
With the World Cup virtually requiring seven consecutive victories to hold aloft the Webb Ellis Trophy, the Wallabies know the time is overdue to find consistency to match the exhilirating rugby they are now capable of producing in bursts.
Assistant coach Jim Williams admitted the frustrated coaching staff had pulled no punches in a scathing appraisal of their failure in team meetings.
Williams said the feeling among the group was vastly different since arriving in Brisbane.
"Oh yeah, there's been a definite change in the mood that's for sure,'' Williams said. "We made it clear it was not good enough last week.
"More importantly the players realise that as well.''
It's taking time for the lesson to be learned>
Deans was also incensed by attitude problems last year in Scotland's 9-8 boilover at Murrayfield and New Zealand's three-try thumping in Wellington directly after the Wallabies had upset South Africa.
The last time Australia won seven straight Tests was when they won the 1999 World Cup, while they have not claimed the Bledisloe Cup or Tri-Nations trophy since 2002.
On their current up-and-down form, former Test coach Bob Dwyer suggested they will crash out at quarter-final stage in New Zealand in 2011.
Second-rower Dean Mumm, who along with winger Drew Mitchell was considered most fortunate to retain a starting position, conceded he was as guilty as any for lacking consistency.
"I think we're frustrated that it takes a loss of last weekend's proportion or, to count others in recent times, Scotland to get back performing,'' Mumm said. "We shouldn't need that.
"We should have enough self-belief and pride in what we do to not have down points.
"Personally, I sometimes think I have probably been guilty of sometimes taking things for granted and you shouldn't because every game is important in this jumper.''
Williams identified the scrummaging improvement in Sydney as the most pleasing aspect of the loss to England.
Tight-head prop Salesi Ma'afu, sin-binned for repeated collapses in Perth before Australia conceded a second pushover penalty try, said scrum coach Patricio Noriega had played a key role in instilling more mongrel at ANZ Stadium.
"We all know how passionate Pato is and he takes it very personally even though he's not on the field,'' Ma'afu said. "He's been working hard with us and the aggression is starting to show.
"It's something that we definitely needed, we needed to get a bit of mongrel into us and he feeds that to us constantly.''
http://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/rug...-1225883810428
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