Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither will the Waratahs as coach Dan McKellar is prepared for the ‘tears’ as he looks to turn their fortunes around.
The Waratahs will head to Perth with their finals hopes hanging on by a thread, needing to win their last two games of the season against the Western Force and Blues.
Watch every game of SMARTECH Super Rugby Pacific live and on-demand via Stan Sport.
The side has not won away from Allianz Stadium in 2025 and McKellar was keeping the side accountable as they build for the future.
“We challenged individuals and kept them accountable to that. This is a long process that we're in here, and we're certainly seeing progress,” McKellar insisted to reporters.
“How you measure progress and how you define progress is up to individuals. Within the four walls of the building here, daily habits, the discipline, the standards, and how we train, we’ve seen significant change and progress in that. It's an adjustment.
“It's an adjustment for the players and staff, but it's developing that consistency and that discipline to do it day in and day out. I know that in three years' time, if we stick to task and stay on track with what the vision is, there will be good times ahead here.
"Unfortunately, there's going to be a few tears, and there's a few tears on Friday night, but we dust ourselves off. The sun came up, and we get back into it.”
The Waratahs will go into the 2026 season without superstar prop Angus Bell after his confirmed sabbatical to URC side Ulster.
McKellar believes the move for the young prop will be beneficial to his growth and is hopeful no more will follow as he looks to continue their rebuild.
“When I signed here, I was made aware that he had a clause in his contract that allowed him and multiple other players throughout the country to have a season offshore. Belly has managed to come to an agreement with Ulster, which will be really good for him,” the coach believes.
“He's been in this building and this group for a number of years, since he left straight out of school. So, a rugby experience and life experience will do him the world of good.
“I wouldn’t want a whole heap of them, but in this example, I see the benefit, and we're really comfortable with what we've got in behind Belly.
“Tom Lambert's really come on this year and we’re working closely with Isaac Kailea in the background, who is getting better and better at set-piece, and he's a very good rugby player along with Jack Barrett and Adrian Brown.
"We're very comfortable with the stocks that we've got in behind Belly. We'll welcome him back with open arms in 2027.”
