But he said the group is excited about the challenge as it prepares to take on the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific champions on their home turf.
The game is a must-win fixture for both teams if they are to earn a top six place on the ladder and make the finals.
“We understand the challenge that’s in front of us, but we’re certainly excited about it,” McKellar said after the NSW Waratahs trained in Daceyville in Sydney on Thursday.
“I don’t think there would be a whole lot of people tipping us.
"To a certain extent that takes the pressure off, but internally there is pressure.
“We are not going to go over there to have a nice performance where we lose the game in a close scenario. We want to go over there and win.”
The NSW Waratahs are coming off a grueling 22-17 win against the Western Force in Perth last Saturday and a tight travel schedule, that led McKellar to opt for a lighter training load based on recovery and detail for the Blues clash.
“It was a physical game in Perth and obviously the travel adds up,” McKellar said before the team flew out from Sydney to Auckland on Thursday afternoon.
“We’ve freshened the boys up. Now it’s about going over there, embracing the challenge, and doing our job.”
Eden Park is a traditional fortress for the Blues in Super Rugby and All Blacks in Test rugby. The NSW Waratahs last won there in 2009.
But McKellar dismissed the stadium’s aura, instead urging his team to focus on executing the basics well and staying in the contest deep into the second half.
“Most teams are difficult to beat at home. But Eden Park, it’s not like it is a tough place to play,” McKellar said.
“It’s a beautiful stadium … but we just have to understand that it’s just another patch of grass.
“It’s a nice stadium and we play in plenty of those. And the Brumbies showed early in the year that it [winning] is possible.
“We just have to make sure that we don’t do anything out of the ordinary other than go over there and do your job and perform well.”
Central to the NSW Waratahs’ approach is a fresh halves combination, with Jack Bowen named at fly-half alongside Teddy Wilson at scrum-half.
Bowen impressed in last week’s win with composure and creativity, including the match-winning assist for Darby Lancaster to score in the last seconds.
“Jack’s been very good over a long period of time. We have given him small tastes [of game time] here and there,” McKellar said.
“He has trained very well and has transferred how he has trained [well] and probably made his biggest contribution to the game on Saturday in Perth.
“And we have Tane [Edmed on the bench] with his experience to come on in the back end.”
With the NSW Waratahs needing a win to keep their finals hopes alive, McKellar is leaning into the underdog tag, but only to a point.
“Sure, there’s less pressure when people aren’t expecting you to win,” he said.
“But internally, we’re putting pressure on ourselves – not to just compete, but to go out there and get the job done.”
Where: Eden Park, Auckland
When: Saturday, 31 May, 2025
Kick-off: 2.35 pm (AEST)
The game will be televised LIVE on Stan Sport - The Home of Rugby
