NSW Waratahs coach Dan McKellar has sent a clear message to his squad: perform, or find yourself on the sidelines.
McKellar showed no player was safe after ringing in the changes for Friday's must-win match with the Queensland Reds in Sydney.
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Lock Hugh Sinclair, who was co-captain last week, headlined the omissions alongside former Wallabies centre Lalakai Foketi and flyhalf Lawson Creighton.
McKellar has never been afraid to make big changes, with Taniela Tupou still on the bench after a slow start to the season.
"We didn't play well last week so we made some changes. It's pretty simple," McKellar told the media about Sinclair's non-selection.
"Selection is really easy. (Hugh) Sinclair's been good over a long period of time and he's an important part of our team and he will be over the next few weeks as well.
"We've got some fresh bodies in there and they get the chance."
It comes after a 40-17 defeat to the ACT Brumbies that left McKellar angry after a second-half fadeout allowed their rivals to race away with the win.
"In the last few weeks, we've had a couple of disappointing reviews and we've approached all of them differently in what's important and what the group needs. I'm not going to lie, I was pretty angry after that Brumbies performance, the second half in particular," McKellar admitted.
"Players needed to know that and I think they were pretty disappointed as well. Thankfully we've got a six-day turnaround and the beauty about this game is you get an opportunity to respond pretty quickly.
"Talk is cheap now, so it's all about our actions."
The coach said there was no need to seek extra motivation for Friday's rivalry match, as their season was on the line.
"It's Queensland vs New South Wales...if you need motivation for this game, if you need me to give you something to get you up for this game, then we should change occupations," he added.
"It's a big game and it's important in terms of the context of our season and it's Queensland vs New South Wales, so get stuck into it."
