NSW Waratahs Head Coach Dan McKellar wants his players to adopt a Test match mentality for their clash with the British & Irish Lions at Allianz Stadium in Moore Park, Sydney on Saturday night.
The opportunity is rare for any Australian player to face the Lions who visit Australia once every twelve years.
McKellar acknowledged the unique weight of this week’s team selection.
“It’s a big game. Everyone wants to play in it. Like every week, the boys all want to be involved,” McKellar told media after NSW Waratahs training on Thursday.
“There have been some tough decisions, as always; but we are comfortable with the 23 that we have got.”
The return of Wallabies squad members, tighthead prop Taniela Tupou and outside back Andrew Kellaway has bolstered the Waratahs lineup.
Both were released back to the club by the Wallabies this week, giving McKellar valuable experience to call on.
“Nela at scrum time and Kells' experience on both sides of the ball. It's invaluable,” he said.
Asked what he asks of Tupou, McKellar said: “To go out there in set piece first and foremost, back that up with physicality and [show] the ability to repeat it.
“They are the three things I talk to tight forwards about every day.
“I want him to be really around good at scrum, lineout, maul and then impose himself on the game as we know he can do with ball in hand and without it.”
McKellar also confirmed lock Matt Philip will make his long-awaited debut for the NSW Waratahs from the bench after returning to Australia from Japan.
Philip was named after being released by the Wallabies wider training group, as was Darby Lancaster who will start on the left wing and flyhalf Tane Edmed on the bench.
After watching the Lions dispatch the Western Force and Queensland Reds with 50-point-plus margins, McKellar knows the scale of the challenge awaiting his side.
“You just have to put them under pressure. They’re a quality side, and as I’ve said to the players all week … this is a Test match.
“We are not playing Super Rugby or anything else. We are playing a high-quality Test team.
“But they’ve got two arms and two legs, and you just have to put them under pressure.
“The Force and the Reds, they have done that … being able to do it and sustain it for long periods of time is the challenge.
“They bring on eight high quality Test players off the bench … it’s a fair challenge.
“But as has been proven in the past, it’s certainly doable. You just have to be very good.”
McKellar believes set piece dominance could be a key weapon for the NSW Waratahs.
“Dominant set piece is a big part of what we do,” McKellar said.
“Ideally, we can get dominance at scrum time, because off the back of that you get field position, you are in the penalty count, and you game just flows from there.”
The match also marks the final appearance in a NSW Waratahs jersey for several players, including Hugh Sinclair who will captain the side and has been named at No. 8.
“'Sincs' has been a part of not just Waratahs rugby, but NSW rugby for a number of years with his involvement with Norths [Northern Suburbs] and the Shute Shield,” he said.
“’He is a player you have a lot of respect for,” McKellar said.
“He's squeezed every bit out of his career … It’ll be a special night for him and his family.”
While the fixture is viewed by some as a "free swing" for a NSW Waratahs side missing their Wallaby stars, McKellar was quick to dismiss that mindset.
“We don’t want to go out there and perform for the occasion,” he said.
“We want to go out there and perform well.
“We’ve worked incredibly hard over the last month since Super Rugby finished for us.
"I want to see a transfer of that and put a performance on that we can hang our hat on.
“We want to challenge them and do the Wallabies a few favours and try to expose them.”
With most of his coaching team having experienced Lions tours as players, McKellar, who also brings his experience of coaching in England, said that insight has helped preparations.
But it’s up to the current group to make the most of a probable once-in-a-career moment.
“It’s a special event against some of the best players in the world,” McKellar said.
“Not a lot of coaches and players are fortunate enough to have it fall within their career span, being only every twelve years.
“So, you’ve got to be grateful for that and be excited by it,” he said.
“Now, we have to go out there and perform and make sure we are excited by the performance that we deliver.”
