Hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau has defended under-fire Wallabies coach Michael Cheika in the wake of yet another Bledisloe Cup loss to New Zealand last weekend, saying the players need to take responsibility.
Cheika has come in for criticism in the past few days after his side’s second-half collapse, which left their hopes of extinguishing 16 years of Bledisloe heartache hanging by a thread.
But senior Wallabies in the form of Polota-Nau and Adam Coleman have rallied behind their boss, whom they believe is still the best man to take the team forward with the 2019 World Cup in Japan on the horizon.
“He’s definitely the best man for the job,” Polota-Nau told Sky Sports.
“It’s more about how we take that blueprint and put it out there on the field.
“At the end of the day we’re the guys out there on the field and only we can control what the plays are at hand.”
Lock Adam Coleman echoed the words of his team-mate as the Wallabies prepare for the second Test at Eden Park on Saturday.
“We’ve got full confidence in this coaching staff and we back them 100 percent,” Coleman said.
“There has never ever been a question about that so I don’t know where that has come from.”
Polota-Nau added on the tough prospect of winning at the Auckland venue: “(We) don’t even consider what they call the hoodoo of Eden Park.
“I’ve played there quite a few times and managed to win only once – in 2009 with the Waratahs – but we have to make sure we use that one opportunity and reminisce on the good times.
“My biggest motivator is to win again at Eden Park.”