Michael Hooper says there's going to be no magic fix to turning the Waratahs into champions overnight but believes there's enough talent coming through to give NSW fans hope that they can once again return to the heights of 2014.
On Wednesday night it was announced that Hooper would take up an opportunity to join Steve Hansen's Toyota Verblitz in Japan for the 2021 season, before then returning to Australian rugby and seeing out his five-year deal with the Waratahs.
Hooper's departure means the last survivor from the 2014 triumph will have left the Waratahs after Kurtley Beale joined French powerhouse Racing 92 earlier in the year.
Since Michael Cheika's departure in 2015, the Waratahs' playing group has left bit by bit.
First it was Adam Ashley-Cooper and Sekope Kepu that left after the World Cup campaign before later returning.
But it was the departure of South African enforcer Jacques Potgieter following their heartbreaking 2015 semi-final defeat to the Highlanders, the retirements of Stephen Hoiles and Dean Mumm soon after and the offshore moves of Wycliff Palu and Will Skelton that left a void in the forwards that the Waratahs haven't been able to replace since.
Hooper was the glue holding the Waratahs together in recent years.
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"From being here (over) a couple of years of turnover it's a challenge," Hooper said.
"It's going to be a challenge.
"Do I think that there's a great opportunity for guys that have been a layer under some of the more senior players? I think there's a great opportunity for them to test themselves and put their mark on the team.
"Guys like Jake Gordon I think have so much to offer, and to a certain extent we haven't seen that come through yet and I'm really excited for guys like him and the other players around him like Lachie Swinton. You get a Tom Horton re-signing for two years just the other day, we're starting to get some quality young players there."
In many ways the Waratahs' fall from grace is similar to what we see at the Reds in 2011.
Once Ewen McKenzie left in 2013 to join the Wallabies, his anointed successor, Richard Graham, struggled as head coach and the class of 2011 slowly left.
But with the arrival of Brad Thorn and his youth policy approach the Reds are once again emerging as a genuine force which will likely have the added benefit of helping the Wallabies.
While the pain of the Waratahs' own demise once again brings up questions of why Australian rugby struggles with their pathway system, Hooper said the Reds' own rise was an example that backing the club's youth can work.
"There's definitely arguments for both sides, you're starting to see the Reds pay off with their young team (with) some of the performances they've put out going down that path," the incumbent Wallabies skipper said.
"Someone like Karmichael (Hunt) has impressed this year with the amount of knowledge and leadership and the way he goes about his business. It's a shame he's not on the park in the last two weeks, which has been tough, he's been great in the midfield.
"It's going to be interesting how that's done.
"In terms of going out and getting players, it's been a tough environment with recruiting so I'm hopeful that that's starting to kick back up for all our players."
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Waratahs coach Rob Penney said the loss of Hooper would be felt.
"He's so resilient and he has a wonderful work ethic and has great leadership qualities, so all the things that are going to challenging to replace," the first-year Waratahs coach said.
"It's not goodbye, it's an opportunity for him to experience some new things and he'll be back with another layer of maturity and world experience."
Hooper's departure is yet another blow for Penney, who has had quite the introduction to the Waratahs since arriving last December.
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But the vastly experienced New Zealand coach refused to think of Hooper's departure as a "blow" to his ultimate vision for the Waratahs.
"It's not a blow at all because in a number of ways it allows other people to spread their wings and it creates another opportunity for someone to wear the No.7 jersey that Hoops has just owned for the last seven or eight years," he said.
"Of course losing him is a blow to what potentially his impact on performance and outcome, but if you look at it in a bit more detail (it is an) opportunity for someone else to show that they're up to it and contribute to this great jersey in a way that hasn't been an opportunity since the great man's owned it for so long.
"So there's a window there.
"We'll be taking the cup half-full approach to that."
Should the Waratahs lose to the Rebels at Leichhardt Oval on Saturday night the Waratahs will miss the Super Rugby finals for the second straight year.
The Rebels take on the Waratahs at Leichhardt Oval on Saturday August 29, kicking off at 7:15pm AEST, LIVE on Foxtel, Foxtel Now and Kayo Sports. Buy tickets here. Buy a Kayo subscription here.
