They say winning is addictive but Wallabies centre Matt Giteau believes it’s improvement that has become the centre piece for Australia.
A run of six consecutive victories, going back to the USA Test in September is their longest in a calendar since 2003, when they won six in a row on their way to the World Cup final.
Giteau said it was the urge to improve every day that was driving the team.
“I don’t think any one victory has been the defining point for us,” he said .
“It’s that desire to get better as a team. Each week we want to improve and we’re just becoming committed to the process of getting better.
“As a team, we’re committed to one goal and everyone’s buying into it.
“Even the guys that don’t get a lot of game time have been superb around the group.
“That just speaks volumes about the environment that’s been created by the coaches but also the one that’s been created by the leaders as well.”
Asked about the impact of August’s Bledisloe Cup win on their culture, Giteau said there was no one match that had defined their journey to a World Cup semi-final.
“ It was a victory and we’ve had many victories after that,” he said.
“It wasn’t the one defining moment.
“The week after we went to New Zealand and lost. That also didn’t define us, we didn’t lose confidence.”
“We’re getting addicted to the process of trying to get better and just staying tight as a group.”
The Wallabies are among the most experienced squads in the World Cup and flanker Scott Fardy said it was those veteran players who made the difference in the crucial moments.
“(Against Scotland) We looked to the leaders for that and they were awesome in that situation,” he said.
“The guys that came on, especially the playmakers and leaders they were really good.
“We looked to those, they made the good decisions and we got down and put pressure on.”
Number eight David Pocock is still vying to be fit for Sunday’s clash after another run on Tuesday but Fardy said they had faith in not just the back row depth but the depth of the entire side.
Fullback Kurtley Beale was superb against Scotland and winger Drew Mitchell will be hard to shift despite first-choice winger Rob Horne (shoulder) being available to play for the first time since the England game.
“Yeah, I think it'll be great to have Dave back,” Fardy said.
“We are always looking to have guys like David, who is a special player back in the side.
“You saw the way Ben McCalman played at the weekend, he probably could have been man of the match as well as Gits.
“I think – and I've said it a number of times in the tournament – that we're very confident in the back row depth that we have got.
“But we've got that in a number of positions.”
The Wallabies will train on Wednesday with a day off on Thursday ahead of Sunday’s World Cup semi-final.
