Folau keen to end his 'dry' run
Israel Folau is adamant he still knows his way to the tryline, despite his recent 'dry' run.
The high-profile Rugby League convert's prolific start to his Rugby Union international career has made way for a very lean spell – five games without a try.
The Wallaby superstar admits some may see him as having flown "under the radar" in recent games, but the recently-crowned John Eales Medallist denies he's lost his sparkle.
Folau heads into his 26th Test match, against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday, on the back of his longest break without scoring since exploding onto the international scene midway through last year.
Folau last scored a five-pointer in September's win over South Africa in Perth and his absence from the scoresheet since has led some to suggest the 25-year-old may be a little off the high standard of form he's set previously.
However, he doesn't agree, though, feeling his recent try-scoring record does not reflect the impact he's having in games.
"I'm pretty happy with the way I'm playing at the moment," said Folau, who has 15 tries in his 25 Tests and 20 from 28 matches in Super Rugby.
"I feel like I'm creating opportunities for myself and for the guys around and that's all I need to do. That's my role and crossing the line for tries is always a bonus.
"I think most people would probably say I've gone a bit under the radar because I'm not scoring some tries.
"But I think I'm doing a lot of my work off the ball and creating different opportunities for the guys around me."
Folau also dismissed suggestions he could be feeling the pinch of an arduous season heading into the Wallabies tour of Europe, where they will also face France, Ireland and England.
The former NRL and AFL star went the distance with Super Rugby champion Waratahs and has not missed a minute for the Wallabies this year, even playing a full match in last week's tour-opening 40-36 win over the Barbarians in London.
"I've tried to do the best I can to recover from week to week," Folau said.
"[On Monday] I didn't train so it was a good day for me to rest up.
"The way I see it, there's four more games to go, so we're just looking to finish off strong and put our best foot forward."
* Meanwhile the Wallabies have been told to find a mean streak if they want to keep their Test jerseys as coach Michael Cheika warns the players to brace for short-term pain on the pursuit of success.
The Wallabies will take on the architect of their British and Irish Lions downfall, Warren Gatland, when they play Wales in Cardiff.
The Gatland-led B&I Lions beat the Wallabies 2-1 last year, triggering a disastrous 16 months for Australian rugby and ending Robbie Deans' stint as coach.
Cheika admits there's "no magic solution" for an immediate turnaround, but the NSW Waratahs coach says hard work and physicality will be the foundation of his plan.
Cheika wants the players to make "maintaining the anger" a habit as they start a four-Test challenge against Wales, France, Ireland and England.
"No one has the right way. It's who can get everyone doing it their way that gets the better outcome, there's no magic solution," Cheika said.
"Just being able to maintain the anger you need to have to play 80 minutes in a contact sport. If I can get the team in the image we want to portray, then I see the results as a consequence.
"We've got to get in the habit of working hard, there's going to be a bit of pain because [the players] not used to it. It's about triggering the mental side, it's not like we're running marathons."
Sources: AAP & The Canberra Times
