What coach Dan McKellar wants to see from Waratahs in pre-season clash

Backrower Hugh Sinclair will captain the NSW Waratahs on Saturday afternoon when they take on NSW Pacifica in a pre-season clash in Western Sydney. Head coach Dan McKellar has picked a talented 27-man team for the trial match at Eric Tweedale Stadium.

Former Australia U20 captain and Australia sevens representative Teddy Wilson joins the likes of Wallabies winger Darby Lancaster, exciting playmaker Jack Bowen, and Australia A enforcer Tom Lambert in the First XV for the clash that is due to start at 4.00 pm.

Julian Heaven and Daniel Botha will join Lambert in the front row, while Felix Kalapu and Ben Grant round out the tight five. Leafi Talataina, Jamie Adamson and captain Sinclair are the other forwards in the run-on side.

Wilson and Bowen will combine in the halves, while the electrifying duo of Joey Walton and Henry O’Donnell will link up in the midfield. Lancaster will line up on the left edge, Triston Rielly has been named to the No. 14 on the right wing, and James Hendren is the starting fullback.

McKellar has also selected 12 replacements, with the coach looking to reward as many players as possible with game time after what was no doubt a gruelling pre-season at the club’s headquarters in Daceyville.

“We want to provide an opportunity for the players who have done the majority of pre-season, who have worked hard here, a chance to get game time,” coach McKellar said.

“It’s great that we can finally get our first game of 2025 off and running and give the boys a chance to wear the Waratahs jersey.

“I want to see transformation or transference of the behaviours we’re demanding of each other every day,” he added.

“We’re going to make mistakes. We won’t be perfect from a rugby point of view, but attitudinally it’s about the effort, the fight.

“I want to see it from the very first minute.”

While Sinclair has been named to lead the side into battle this time – who co-captained the side along with Charlie Gamble against Kubota Spears in Tokyo a couple of months ago – one man who won’t be taking the field is 2025 skipper Jake Gordon.

It was announced earlier this week that Gordon will captain the Waratahs for a fifth season, with the scrumhalf coming off an especially impressive season for both club and country in 2024. Gordon was the first-choice Wallabies halfback under coach Joe Schmidt.

The side doesn’t feature any other Wallabies who were included in coach Schmidt’s Spring Tour squad, who only returned to the Tahs last week. McKellar said those Wallabies need more time preparing and training before they take the field for a pre-season match.

“The reality is that they need a couple of weeks of training, and at the intensity that we’ve been training here,” McKellar explained.

“It’s probably been a shock to a few of them, but they’ll pick their conditioning and their fitness levels up quickly.

“They’ll be ready to go in the next couple of weeks.”

The NSW Waratahs’ clash in the late afternoon is part of a triple header against NSW Pacifica sides. Earlier at 1.00 pm, the NSW Waratahs Un20s will play the NSW Pacific Under 20s.

To round out the day after the Waratahs’ men’s side takes the field, the Waratah Women will take on NSW Pacifica at 6.00 pm.

NSW Waratahs team to take on NSW Pacifica

Loosehead Prop – Tom Lambert
Hooker – Julian Heavan
Tighthead Prop – Daniel Botha
Left Lock – Felix Kalapu
Right Lock – Ben Grant
Left Flanker – Leafi Talataina
Right Flanker – Jamie Adamson
Number Eight – Hugh Sinclair (C)
Scrumhalf – Teddy Wilson
Flyhalf – Jack Bowen
Left Wing – Darby Lancaster
Inside Centre – Joey Walton
Outside Centre – Henry O’Donnell
Right Wing – Triston Rielly
Fullback – James Hendren
Reserve – Ethan Dobbins
Reserve – Adrian Brown
Reserve – Siosifa Amone
Reserve – Ale Aho
Reserve – Clem Halaholo
Reserve – Jack Grant
Reserve – Joey Fowler
Reserve – Archie Saunders
Reserve – Brad Amituanai
Reserve – Mesu Kunavula
Reserve – Jackson Ropata
Reserve – Charlie Gamble