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NSW Waratahs have a bye week to try to raise their game after their narrow Super Rugby loss in a hot-and-cold display against the Blues.
Daryl Gibson believes the NSW Waratahs have a stack of improvement in them after their 32-29 Super Rugby loss to the Blues in which "scrapping well" was the best compliment he could muster.
The positives from their upset win over the Crusaders two weeks ago are fading fast after the Waratahs' shock loss to the Sunwolves and their hot-and-cold outing at Eden Park on Saturday.
NSW fought back from 17-0 down, and managed to cross for four tries, but lacked the poise to overhaul the in-form Blues.
Gibson's men have lost more ground on the Australian Conference-leading Melbourne Rebels and only cling to eighth place overall courtesy of the four bonus points accrued for their narrow losses.
They have a bye week to formulate a way of winning the tight ones before a crunch home derby against the Rebels on April 20.
"All the games we've lost this year, we've been in. It's disappointing we couldn't close out that game," Gibson said.
"Do I think we're far off? I think we've still got some growth in us, a lot of growth, and that's a positive thing.
"We're scrapping well, we're competing at the moment and that gives us a chance."
Gibson reserved his kindest words for fullback Israel Folau, whose first-half try took his career tally to a Super Rugby record 60.
"He replaces some pretty legendary try-scorers there on the Super Rugby list," he said.
"It'd be a wonderful library of tries too if you go through them. It's a real credit to him."
Bernard Foley became the competition's sixth player to clear 1000 points.
However, the Test five eighth was more intent on finding solutions to the Waratahs' patchy form, particularly that of a Wallabies-laden backline which he said didn't do enough behind an industrious forward effort.
"Our attack, we have a lot of faith in it, and I thought the forwards set a really good platform," Foley said.
"We applied a lot of pressure through our scrum and our mauls but it's disappointing to be close like that and not get it.
"We were our own worst enemies."