NSW Waratahs determined they won’t be caught on the hop against Melbourne Rebels

BITTER memories of a Rebels ambush last season will ensure NSW aren’t caught on the hop again when they take on Melbourne on Friday night.

The Waratahs are determined to avoid a repeat of last season’s loss against the Rebels.

BITTER memories of a Rebels ambush last season — and the presence of several of its architects now in their camp — will ensure NSW aren’t caught on the hop again when they take on Melbourne tomorrow night at AAMI Park.

Having beaten the Brumbies a week earlier, the Waratahs’ finals hopes took a sharp nosedive last year when they lost to the Rebels 24-22 in Melbourne in round 15, ending a three-match winning streak.

With just one win from the remaining three games after that, the Tahs’ season never recovered.

“There is a lot of talk around here at the moment about the way we travelled down there last year to play them,” said half-back Nick Phipps.

“It has been identified that the attitude wasn’t right, the group wasn’t as tight as it could have been heading down there and that stung them down there.”

Phipps was in Melbourne colours last year, but along with Kurtley Beale and assistant coach Nathan Grey, are now in the Tahs camp.

“I was on the other side of the ledger but a lot of the boys are still pretty dirty about how they performed down there last year,” Phipps said.

Grey said the plan was to harness the public expectation on the Waratahs, who were being talked up as late chargers following the AXT win.

The Rebels pulled off a shock win against the Waratahs last season.

“The plan was just to build that pressure, and continually put them under pressure,” Grey said.

“With my Rebels hat a year ago, we just planned some kick tactics and what we were going to do to particular players. Some of those things worked. But in context, Brendan McKibbin still had a kick on full-time to win the game.”

Now living north of Mexico, Grey said that game has ensured the 2014 Waratahs — though still under the standard Sydney pressure — will not be flying south today with the same hazy attitude.

“Definitely not — as soon as we finished the Lions game, in the change room guys were already talking about the preparation for this week,” Grey said.

“We’ve known we have the short-turnaround for a long time, so we have prepared physically for that and the guys are very focused for what we need to do to head down to Melbourne and put them under pressure, and play the way we want to play.”

Coach Michael Cheika made two changes to his starting side, recalling Jacques Potgieter into the starting team at lock for Will Skelton, and bringing Alofa Alofa’s speed onto the wing for Matt Carrraro.

Jono Lance returns to the Tahs bench for Taqele Narayavaro, but the big Fijian and backrower Pat McCutcheon will travel with the team.

Grey said the Rebels would be high in confidence after beating Queensland for the first time last weekend, and with a well balanced and potent side across the park.

“(The Reds win) would certainly reconfirm confidence in themselves. They’re a good side,” Grey said.

“They’re led well by Higgers (Scott Higginbotham (, and have some real strike players; Tommy English, Tamati Ellison, Colby (Faingaa) is playing well in the backrow. There are lots of threats across the park, and they’re a 90 per cent defensive side, so they get confidence from that.”