The Ospreys hooker will lead his country for the seventh time in his career on Sunday 10 November and wants to prove to Welsh fans that his team is ready to turn a corner.
“When you pull on the red jersey you never walk onto the field to lose a game. In this series we’ll be walking on to win,” said Lake.
“We’re all massively motivated to turn things around having been involved in a nine-game losing streak. It’s not something you ever want to happen but it’s part of the game.
“Now it’s our job to change it and get back onto the right side of the results. Will Rowlands said in the week ‘schools out’ and during the Six Nations Dafydd Jenkins said ‘if you are good enough, you are old enough’ – age doesn’t really matter.
“There has been a bit of a grace period around results, the experience of the players and getting to grips with international rugby, but that has gone. Given the experience we now have in this group it’s all about results.”
Lake was in charge of the side on tour in Australia during the summer when they twice went close to beating the Wallabies and ended on a high with a non-capped win over Queensland. That win in Brisbane gave the players a huge boost in confidence.
With games against Fiji, Australia and South Africa to come on successive weekends this month there is a great opportunity to lay to rest of the ghost of those nine defeats and pick up a first Test win of 2024.
“The win in Brisbane didn’t count as a Test match but it was something we needed as a group. It gave us self-belief that we can get on the right side of the scoreboard and learn how to win games,” said Lake.
“It once again came down to the wire, but it’s all about learning how to close out games like that. It didn’t go on our record, but it was big for us as a group.
“Now we’re back in Cardiff, back in front of a home crowd and we need to turn over a new leaf with this group. We have to set the record straight, put the losses behind us and start building momentum into the Six Nations.
“The boys have trained really well and very hard. There have been little groups of boys doing extras together and getting familiar with each other.
“We’ve just got to be clinical because in the summer tests we had to work really hard to score our tries and probably gave away a few soft ones. On the other side of the coin, Australia didn’t have to work too hard for their points.
“We conceded six points off kick-offs after we had just scored tries. Then they scored a chip and chase almost from their own try line when we had them on the ropes.
“We must make teams work harder for their points because we are working hard for ours. That needs to be a major change for us.
“We know Fiji are a dangerous outfit. The last time we faced them was at the World Cup and it came down to the 82nd minute with everyone on the edge of their seats.
“We know what they are going to bring and the firepower they’ve got coming back into their side. We are fully aware of their dangers and how good they are, but we have to focus on ourselves and just be clinical.”
