Dean Mumm says Waratahs and Australian rugby in good shape

Waratahs forward Dean Mumm believes Australian rugby is in “great shape” despite poor results this year.

NSW forward Dean Mumm: ‘From my point of view I think we are in great shape.’ Picture: Mark Evans

Waratahs forward Dean Mumm believes Australian rugby is in “great shape” despite poor results this year at both Test and Super Rugby levels.

Last weekend New Zealand teams amassed a collective 203 points against the Brumbies, Waratahs, Queensland Reds and Melbourne Rebels, while the Western Force lost 22-3 to the Stormers of South Africa.

Australian teams have won just three of 24 Super Rugby games against Kiwi opposition this season, while the Wallabies were whitewashed three-nil by England last month.

“You can throw some stats around it,” Mumm said. “I actually think we are in reasonable nick. There is a lot of belief in what we can do as a nation, particularly at Wallaby level, and here at the Waratahs we believe in what we can do as well.

“We just have to create the ­opportunity and have a bit of luck to get there.

“From my point of view I think we are in great shape. Kiwi teams are doing well, scoring plenty of points. The England series was tight. We lost three games, but we were in a position to win a lot of those games with 20 to go.

“That’s not a sign of a poor team or a poor nation of rugby players. I believe we can go well.”

With one round to go, the Waratahs and the Brumbies are competing for the Australian conference title and automatic entry to the playoffs, but six teams from New Zealand and South Africa have more competition points than the two Australian sides.

The Waratahs are looking to beat the Blues at Eden Park in Auckland on Friday night to give themselves a chance of finishing top of the conference.

Mumm said the Waratahs had to remain composed to collect the bonus point for scoring three or more tries than the Blues.

“You’ve got to be more composed,” Mumm said. “When you go into games where you’ve got to get a bonus point, sticking to what you do and having belief in what you do, which will ultimately get you the win, is the way to do it.

“If you go crazy, focusing on tries from moment one, then you are unlikely to get it done because you become a bit loose in the way you play.

“Being composed and backing what you do as a team is the way to get through it.”

The Blues have won 13 of their past 15 games at Eden Park against Australian opposition, ­including a 40-15 thrashing of the Waratahs’ playoff rivals, the Brumbies, last Friday night.

And the Waratahs have only ever won one Super Rugby game at Eden Park, in 2009.

“There hasn’t been a whole bunch of wins for Waratahs teams over there, but there has been some,” Mumm said. “I was and a number of other boys were part of the team that won there in 2009. It’s possible. It can be done.

“2009 is certainly better than 1923 or whatever it was before that. We are shortening the gap. That’s the main thing.

“It’s an interesting place to play. In terms of the hoodoo or whatever it always gets talked up when we go there, but it comes down to what you do and how you perform in that moment.

“They (Blues) played very well. The Brumbies have been a good team all year, particularly good defensively, and the Blues put 40 points on them.

“That’s a pretty good effort from them. It’s taken a while for a new coaching staff to get comfortable towards the back end of the year and they are a real threat.”

Mumm said the Waratahs would need to improve their positioning in defence following their 28-17 loss to the Hurricanes in Sydney last Saturday night.

“Sometimes we let ourselves down in defence,” Mumm said. “We got a bit compressed and tighter than we normally would have. We probably gave them too much room on the edge.

“We certainly know the Blues will come at us like that. They had a lot of play against the Brumbies in terms of that as well. That’s an area for us to work on.”

Rugby league convert Reece Robinson is expected to replace winger Taqele Naiyaravoro, who has been suspended for a week for tackling Hurricanes five-eighth Beauden Barrett in the air.