Beauty for Waratahs is they are now a different beast

ADAM Ashley-Cooper has warned the ACT Brumbies they face a completely transformed Waratahs side that is desperate for revenge.

Adam Ashley-Cooper

ADAM Ashley-Cooper has warned the ACT Brumbies they face a completely transformed Waratahs side that is desperate for revenge tomorrow night.

Still smarting from their 35-6 humiliation in Canberra on March 9, the resurgent Waratahs will be attempting to win three games in a row for the first time since May 2011 when they play the Super Rugby front-runners.

And former Brumby Ashley-Cooper said his side was a different beast to the one beaten four tries to nil in round four.

"We have grown a lot, and what's different to when we were in Canberra weeks and weeks ago is just our confidence and belief in the team," Ashley-Cooper said.

"I'm hoping that can be a bit of a difference leading into Saturday night's game.

"We're certainly starting to find a way to win and grind out games."

The clash at ANZ Stadium will also pit numerous Wallabies contenders against each other the night before coach Robbie Deans selects his top 25 for the British & Irish Lion series, but Ashley-Cooper says NSW have a different motivation.

"We'd like to seek revenge," he said. "They put 30 points and touched us up in Canberra earlier this year. For us, everyone is going to be using that as motivation here in camp at the Waratahs.

"That was a long time ago, so we won't look at it too much, but we will be using that as motivation knowing they've got one up on us.

"It would be nice to return the favour.

"There has been a lot of footy played since then. Both teams have changed. First and foremost it's a Brumbies versus Waratahs battle. There is a lot of heat that goes into this game.

"They love playing against the Waratahs. It won't be too much of a distraction for them. It's as important a game for them as it is for us."

The Waratahs last won three games in a row in 2011 -- when they qualified for the finals -- by defeating Melbourne Rebels, Western Force, and the now-relegated Lions.

In the past fortnight, they've beaten the Southern Kings 72-10 and the Stormers 21-15, but they lost both their games at ANZ Stadium last season.

"We've still got a lot of work to do,," Ashley-Cooper said. "Last Saturday night it wasn't a great win. It was an effective win but we've got a lot of detail to fix up.

"The competition this year is so tight, it's going to come down to who believes in each other more.

"That's certainly what we believe in. Hopefully we can take the last two weeks . . . take that momentum into the Brumbies.