Wallabies winger Henry Speight says Australia didn’t need any honesty sessions after Saturday’s Bledisloe loss - every player knew it was not good enough.
The Wallabies began training Christchurch on Monday ahead of this weekend’s second Bledisloe, Speight said players knew they were not up to scratch in that opening defeat.
“A lot of harsh truths didn’t have to be said,” he said.
“Us as individuals and us as players can be the harshest on ourselves.
“We knew that first half especially is a standard that is not acceptable and that in itself is a big reality check for us players.
“We didn’t need much of the coaches or much video for that be brought to face for us.
“It’s for us to take a bit more pride and take individual action and do whatever is necessary to fix that.”
From that low, Speight said, the only direction could be upwards for the Wallabies, many of whom were playing their first competitive match in a month on Saturday night.
“It can only get better I suppose,” he said.
“That’s one under our belt now and similar to that huddle at half-time, there is no one else who is going to bring us out of that hole accept ourselves.
“We’ve had one game under our belt now and there is only us and this group who can keep bringing us up and take that into this week.”
After conceding 40 points at half-time in Sydney, Speight said a good start would be the key to turning things around.
“Starting off really well is a big focus for this week and with defence, just sticking to our structures and trusting each other to make our tackles and back each other up,” he said.
“That's one of the main focuses we've looked into this morning and you can't let in that much points and try and chase them down.
“Just trusting each other and our structures and looking to rectify our defensive errors.”
The Wallabies have reviewed the game in the days since the match and Speight said their mentality was optimistic heading into a new week.
“We've had a chance to look ourselves in the mirror and re-live our game,” he said.
“Everyone's in a good headspace today, we had a good travel day and recovery and we've come in to today in good nick, to do our videos and stuff like that.”
The Wallabies could be in for some changes in the backline this weekend, with Dane Halyett-Petty fit and available for selection, while Tevita Kuridrani is a chance to replace Samu Kerevi in the centres.