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Sydney - Wallabies wing Drew Mitchell has said that Dane Haylett-Petty is not to blame for Australia's leaky defence.
Australian rugby has come under fire recently after six straight losses against New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup final, three defeats to England in their series earlier this year, and two losses to New Zealand in the Rugby Championship.
Mitchell says that the outside backs will always pick up most of the flack considering they are the last position in defence.
"I think probably collectively, not just Dane, we've fallen short a little bit on our system in defence," Mitchell told Sportsfan.au.
"I guess sometimes it's highlighted a little bit more on the end of the line because it's easier to see.
"We need to get better at the whole system of our defensive structure ... it doesn't put all the weight on one bloke.
"Dane's been playing really well any time he's had the ball and he's also made some really good reads in defence.
"If (South Africa) target him, it's great, because he'll bounce back and show what we all know that he's capable of."
