But Gregan said his team's poor lead-up form, which included two losses to New Zealand, was the result of an exhaustive training program that had left the players feeling flat and tired.
"We didn't go in there to lose those matches, that's not an excuse, they were just too good," he said.
"But we probably worked a bit harder through the domestic season than we had done previously, knowing that work was probably going to help us now."
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