The Brumbies camp is undergoing a "harsh review" following their loss to the Waikato Chiefs on Saturday, before they will shift their focus towards a "big response" in their must-win match against the Blues, says Noah Lolesio.
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The flyhalf said the side was devastated after the 40-19 round two loss to the Chiefs at Waikato Stadium.
"It's not what we wanted at all," he said.
"We've had a pretty harsh review so far and, you know, we're just keeping everyone accountable for that performance. After today [Monday] we'll move on from it and focus on the Blues.
"We need a big response after that game and ... I'm sure we will."
The ACT side was outclassed on Saturday night, following on from its 31-29 round one loss to the Christchurch Crusaders.
Australian sides are winless in 10 Trans-Tasman Super Rugby series this season.
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After missing the equalising conversion kick in round one of the series, Lolesio could have been forgiven for experiencing deja vu when stepping up to take the first try conversion against the Chiefs.
It was the same spot and the same side. However, the 21-year-old said during the conversion attempt he was not thinking about his kick the week before.
"I just treated it like a normal kick, I wasn't really thinking about it, to be honest," he said.
"That kick against the Crusaders was pretty frustrating, but I quickly got over it after a day or two.
"I sort of just rushed my process a bit there, that's why it hit the left post."
So far this season, Lolesio is kicking at 83 per cent, having only missed eight attempts out of 47.
His kick last week curved too far left past the posts. This time he sent the ball further right, but not enough as it hit the left post and bounced out.
Despite missing the opening conversion, he went on to nail two more in Hamilton.
The Brumbies lead the pack in individual player categories for lineout wins, defenders beaten and offloads but for the main one - the total number of tries scored - they register equal seventh in the competition with the Reds.
The side sits seventh on the series ladder on one point with a minus-23 points differential, with its next opponent the Blues topping the league on 10 points and a plus-74 differential.
The Auckland side is coming off a 50-3 win over the Rebels in round one and a 48-21 win over the Waratahs on the weekend.
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Isobel Cootes
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
