Israel Folau says he is enjoying his football again and believes the Waratahs have the skills to become the first Australian team this year to beat a New Zealand side when they head across the ditch later this week.
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Folau scored two tries on Sunday and was instrumental in the Waratahs' 50-23 shellacking of the Melbourne Rebels at Allianz Stadium.
In an interview with Fairfax Media, the 28-year-old admitted he has never been through a more challenging period in his football career than the Waratahs' recent woes.
There is no doubt one thing is missing with Folau this year: his smile.
Granted, it is hard to be happy when your side is losing more games than not. But when Folau has scored tries this year, he has seldom got those pearly whites out like he used to when he burst onto the scene in 2013.
Folau hasn't seemed himself at times this year but said he approached the Rebels game with the mindset of just enjoying himself.
"I really wanted to simplify things and just look for that enjoyment and the reason why I play the game," Folau said. "I really enjoyed it out there. I'm trying to get that smile back out there and that's what it's all about ... enjoying my footy with a bunch of my mates.
"You could feel the boys having a lot of fun out there."
If the Waratahs are any chance of beating either the Highlanders in Dunedin or the Chiefs in Hamilton over the next two weeks, they need Folau at his prime.
There has been so much debate and analysis around what is holding Australian teams back this year against their New Zealand opponents.
Australian sides have now lost all 18 matches to New Zealand teams this campaign after the Force were smashed 55-6 by the Highlanders on Saturday.
Folau defended those performances and is adamant the Waratahs have the right weapons to compete against Kiwi opposition, provided they continue to back themselves.
"The guys have that in their armoury," Folau said. "We've got those skills to play that game. The challenge is because we're playing New Zealand teams to not go into your shell.
"It's been a bit of perception in the way that people have looked at the way New Zealand teams play. I definitely not only back our guys but all the Super Rugby teams have got the skills.
"It obviously hasn't gone our way [this year] but it's not going to hold us back from the way we want to play. I know we've got the skills to do that."
Following on from their eight-tries-to-three thumping of the Rebels, Folau said there was no need for NSW to change their style of play ahead of a mouth-watering clash against the Highlanders, who have won nine matches from 12 attempts.
"I don't think we should change the way that we play because we're playing New Zealand teams," Folau said. "You've got to be confident going over there and that's all we're thinking about. It's not rocket science; every team is going over there to get the win. That's not the motivation. Guys have got to get the result out of their heads and go out there and play rugby and that's what we did [on Sunday].
"The challenge for us is to work off the back of that. [Sunday] was a good platform for us to really go for it. We talked about it all year, about just expressing ourselves and not going into your shell. That's exactly what we've got to do. We've got to continue on the way we're going so far."
