The NSW Waratahs are intent on shedding their Jekyll-and-Hyde reputation and morphing into serious Super Rugby Pacific title contenders.
After starting their season with stylish two bonus-point victories to share top spot, the Waratahs' star-studded class of 2026 hope to learn from the harsh lessons of last year when all too often heavy wins preceded despairing defeats.
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Never were their inconsistencies more evident than in toppling the ladder-leading Chiefs in round six last season and then slumping to the bottom-placed Fijian Drua the following week.
Ultimately, Dan McKellar's side faded to miss the play-offs, finishing eighth, after opening with three straight wins.
Playmaker Lawson Creighton says the Tahs must avoid the same lulls if they want to be a finals force, and better, this year.
"It's been a great start. The group's in a really good spot," Creighton told AAP on Thursday.
"But we don't want to be that inconsistent team like we were last year. We really think we can push for finals and all that type of stuff.
"So it's important we just keep to our processes every week, keep locking in and working hard."
After taking down arch-rivals the Queensland Reds and the Drua, both at home, the Waratahs know hosting the Hurricanes after this week's bye will be a step up.
"Most of the Kiwis teams, they're bigger bodies, so we've just got to match them physically," Creighton said.
"That's a big part of the game, that set-piece and physicality around the ruck, creating those opportunities.
"We can probably sharpen the sword a little bit with our execution with some of our players and things like that, so it's really positive.
"It's only the back end of February at the moment, so there's plenty of improvement to come."
Blessed to be servicing a million-dollar backline featuring the likes of Wallabies superstars Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Max Jorgensen as well as other Test reps, Creighton is excited by how much more potent the Tahs can be.
"It's great. Those guys sort of just play off the back of our forwards, who have shown massive improvement over the pre-season," the No.10 said.
"They're operating really well at set-piece, so that makes it easier and easy for me really. I've just got to get the footy to those boys in good areas and let them do their thing."
After the Hurricanes, the Sydney side faces the Reds again in round six, then the Blues, Brumbies and Chiefs.
"So now we've got a run of sort of five games, so we'll get a good test of where we're at," Creighton said.
