If Saturday night proves to be their finale in 2020, the Waratahs will go down playing the style of game they want to play, according to halfback Jake Gordon.
Whether it was just coincidence or a sign of things to come, Gordon, who just a day earlier was earmarked as a potential captain of NSW by departing Waratahs great Michael Hooper, fronted the media on Friday.
Usually that right is reserved for the skipper following the 'Captain's Run'.
Yet, coolly Gordon slipped into the role and it didn't go unnoticed, particularly in light of Hooper's comments a day earlier.
"I knew that was coming," Gordon quipped, when being probed by his Friday appearance.
"Hoops has been a great captain for us, a great contributor to Australian rugby and also the Waratahs. 2021 seems like a long time away and I haven’t even thought about captaincy.
"It’s nice to be acknowledge but I’ll leave that up to the coach."
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More pressing is Saturday night's game against Dave Wessels' Melbourne Rebels at Leichhardt Oval, where the Waratahs are playing to stay in the competition.
Should they lose, the Rebels will leapfrog the Waratahs into third spot and with NSW having the bye in next week's final round of the regular season the only thing that they'll be planning if they go down is a COVID-safe Mad Monday.
But with a Test season fast approaching, there's more at stake than just staying alive in the competition.
With a new Wallabies coaching team, jerseys are up for grabs in the post Michael Cheika-era and the rising stocks of the Waratahs have caught the attention of Dave Rennie in recent weeks.
Even if they do win it might not be enough, with Rob Penney's men needing a bonus-point and to keep the Rebels from gaining a losing bonus point themselves to guarantee a spot in the top three.
It's the third time in 2020 that the Waratahs will have faced the Rebels.
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On the two earlier occasions, the Rebels have dominated the Waratahs in the wet.
To overturn that, Gordon said it was vital his side play the way they hwant to play.
"Our game plan’s pretty obvious now, we like to play expansive rugby," he said.
"Looking at the times that we did play the Rebels and not play that well we probably fell into the trap of probably playing the game they wanted us to play," he said.
"We gave away poor discipline so we couldn’t exit from our end. Both games were quite wet so we didn’t really get a chance to throw the ball around, we’ve got a few little tactics in place that will help that but it comes down to really field position and not giving away penalties to stay in the game."
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The good news for the Waratahs is that Sydney is dry and the conditions are expected to be perfect for rugby.
There's no excuses.
It's do-or-die for the Waratahs.
TEAMS
Rebels (1-15): Cameron Orr, Jordan Uelese, Jermaine Ainsley, Matt Philip, Trevor Hosea, Michael Wells, Brad Wilkin, Isi Naisarani, Frank Lomani, Andrew Deegan, Marika Koroibete, Matt To'omua, Campbell Magnay, Andrew Kellaway, Reece Hodge
Reserves: Efitusi Ma'afu, Cabous Eloff, Pone Fa'amausili, Michael Stolberg, Richard Hardwick, James Tuttle, Billy Meakes, Tom Pincus
Waratahs (1-15): Tom Robertson, Tom Horton, Harry Johnson-Holmes, Ned Hanigan, Rob Simmons, Lachie Swinton, Michael Hooper, Jack Dempsey, Jake Gordon, Will Harrison, Tepai Moeroa, Joey Walton, James Ramm, Jack Maddocks
Reserves: Robbie Abel, Angus Bell, Te tera Faulkner, Tom Staniforth, Hugh Sinclair, Mitch Short, Ben Donaldson, Nick Malouf
The Waratahs take on the Rebels 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.
