The NSW Waratahs have detailed the 'low points' they faced after their early-season loss to the Rebels, looking to make amends on Saturday at Allianz Stadium.
The Waratahs entered 2023 with plenty of hype, starting the year with a narrow loss to the ACT Brumbies before a bonus-point win over the Fijian Drua.
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However, they were brought down to Earth after being stunned by the Melbourne Rebels in Round Three, who were winless at this point.
The defeat sparked a four-game losing streak for the Waratahs, who at the start of the season had top-four aspirations.
“We had a fair bit of hype around us at the start of the season and had big expectations for ourselves, and I think people had big expectations for us, after that game we were 1-2. We genuinely thought we were a good chance of winning that game," backrower Will Harris said.
“It just stung because we still had those expectations on us and we let ourselves down.”
The manner in which they lost frustrates the coaching staff, out-enthusiasm by the hungry Rebels for one of the first times in Darren Coleman's tenure.
“That second half down there losing to them, that was one of the lowlights of the year I reckon,” Coleman reflects.
“At the moment, we want to be clearly identified as the second best team in Australia and we want to keep pushing and chasing the Brumbies. To do that, we need to be beating those teams."
“That was a real low point,” assistant coach Pauli Taumoepeau added.
“Being in that charge room after wasn’t good. You talk about in sport where you don’t want feelings to ever leave you, you want to remember it. Whether that is a mantra I believe in but for some reason, sitting in that change room after stays with me, I remember it vividly.
“It’s hurt us on the table but I don’t want to disrespect them and say that’s a game we should’ve won…they played so well. They played fast and fearless, everything that they talk about they delivered in spades there.
“We had our opportunities like the Langi and Nemani disallowed tries and they just turned it around. Full respect for them and haven’t they kicked on since, it’s a big game for us.”
The Waratahs have since turned their season around and find themselves in sixth position after two straight wins.
Meanwhile, the Rebels have pushed some of the best in the competition all the way with little result, leaving this game as a 'double pointer' in both captains' eyes.
"It's coming towards the end of the year now and these games are really important. Melbourne are obviously searching for a finals spot and so are we," Waratahs captain Jake Gordon said.
"You can see a bit of a gap between the top-six teams and the bottom six so what's important is we start gaining some confidence to start chasing those top sides.
"We feel like we're in a better spot than we were at the start of the year but we need to back that up."
"Every game is critical at the moment. We can only take it one game at a time and look to get the win and retain the Weary Dunlop Shield," Rebels counterpart Brad Wilkin added.
