Questions being asked about mental state of inconsistent Waratahs

As they do every week, the Waratahs got together for their post match review but this one — after losing to a team about to be cut from the competition — was particularly ugly.

Skipper Michael Hooper during the Sunwolves clash. Picture: Getty

The Waratahs didn’t need to be read the Riot Act when they returned to training on Monday morning.

Everyone already knew that Friday night’s loss to the bottom placed Sunwolves was an embarrassing stuff up just a week after they’d been thumping their own chests about knocking off the table leading Crusaders.

Ordered to go home to their friends and families and think about anything but Super Rugby, the players didn’t meet up over the weekend to lament about what went wrong because the coaches wanted to save that for Monday morning.

Skipper Michael Hooper during the Sunwolves clash. Picture: Getty

But when they finally did get back together, there was no real need for any ranting or screaming, because the match review was already brutal enough.

“(It was) pretty tough, hard one to look at really,” lock Rob Simmons said.

“We go from one week to the next and they're totally different performances aren't they?”

No-one has been able to put their fingers on what’s wrong with the Waratahs.

Physically, their in good shape, with no major injury concerns, and half their players getting extra rest periods to keep them fresh for the World Cup.

They’ve got the personnel to be doing a lot better do win, with plenty of experienced Test stars spread throughout the squad, and if self-belief and confidence counts for anything, they’ve got plenty of that as well because they continue to talk the talk.

“It is frustrating having those results but without concentrating on the results too much, the mood's pretty good,” said Simmons, who has been one of the few players who has performed consistently well in every match this season.

“We're looking at trying to improve that, how we're going to improve that and just moving forward all the time.”

The Waratahs are struggling with consistency. Picture: AAP

But now legitimate questions are being asked about their mental approach, specifically why they were able to lift for the matches against the Crusaders, and Queensland, but not against the Sunwolves.

It’s been a problem the Waratahs have had all season but Simmons says it’s not a team problem as much as a few individuals.

“I don't think that is an issue, or I suppose maybe it is but not as a team,” he said.

“We need to know what we're doing and we need to stick to that.

“You can't really go off the page as an individual otherwise the rest of the team won't be there with you.”

Originally published as Questions being asked about mental state of inconsistent Waratahs