NSW Waratahs backrower Jed Holloway says team is doing too much talk, not enough action

AFTER their worst start to a Super Rugby season, the Waratahs have been given a stern message by one of their own - ‘we’ve got to shut our mouths and get working.’

Jed Holloway has urged his teammates to get the Tahs season back on track.

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• Tahs in tatters: NSW crash to Brumbies loss

IT’S time for the Waratahs to shut their mouths and do their talking on the field.

That’s the blunt assessment given by NSW backrower Jed Holloway after his side sunk to 16th on the Super Rugby table.

The 28-12 loss to the Brumbies at Allianz Stadium on Saturday, their third in a row, leaves the Tahs in a disastrous position with just five home games remaining in 2017.

This is the Waratahs’ worst start to a season. They haven’t started 1-3 since their horrendous low of 2012, though in that season their early losses were by margins of three points, and two one-point defeats, compared to losses by 19, 23 and 16 points this year.

In 2012 they finished with an overall 4-12 record, after which coach Michael Foley fled to Perth and Michael Cheika was brought in.

Jed Holloway has urged his teammates to get the Tahs season back on track.

The Tahs already have a -52 points differential, better only than the winless Sunwolves and Rebels.

Coach Daryl Gibson and captain Michael Hooper have lamented the side’s inability to execute in their past three matches, and even after Saturday’s defeat Hooper reiterated that their training form has been excellent.

“I know you guys gave Hoops plenty of s*** in the media about his comments last week, but we’ve been training really well, that’s the most frustrating part, we’ve been training really well but not executing when we get out under lights in that 80 minutes,” Holloway said.

“We’ve got to keep on competing, stay tight as a group and keep showing up Monday eager to fight.

“What we say doesn’t mean too much at this point, we’re one-and-three, we’ve got to shut our mouths and get working.”

Holloway, who took the field for the first time in nine months last weekend after overcoming shoulder and hamstring injuries, reflected the mood of exasperated NSW fans.

“We created plenty of opportunities but they were let down by error, in South Africa and here we are our own worst enemy,” Holloway said.

“We’re giving away stupid penalties and dropping too much ball.

“In this competition it’s not going to cut it.”

Next up is a cellar-dweller clash in Melbourne against the Rebels on Friday night, a short turnaround that Holloway says will ensure the NSW squad is switched on when they arrive at Tahs headquarters on Monday morning.

“The boys are hugely disappointed with that performance, we can’t wait to get to training on Monday and prep for Friday and hopefully rip in and make amends,” he said.

The Tahs will be hopeful that star five-eighth Bernard Foley can overcome his concussion issues to take the field for the first time this season on Friday, however they’re resigned to losing backrower Jack Dempsey for the remainder of the season due to a serious leg injury.

“It’s hugely disappointing for Jack, and I’m pretty gutted because I was looking forward to creating that combination that we had last year and putting some games together with him,” Holloway said.

Blindside flanker options include Dean Mumm, who has played there regularly for the Wallabies, with David McDuling replacing him in the starting second row, or directly swapping Dempsey with Ned Hanigan or Michael Wells.