31-cap Wallaby Matt Philip has played in some of the biggest games, but the returning NSW lock believes the honour of skipper is amongst his proudest moments.
Philip was unveiled as the new Waratahs skipper on Tuesday ahead of their opening trial game on Saturday against the Queensland Reds.
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The former Rebels and Force second-rower made his debut for the club during the British & Irish Lions series, elevated to captain for their title-winning Super Rugby AUS campaign.
With the Waratahs coming off a disappointing Super Rugby Pacific season in 2025, Philip is eager to deliver success to the club he grew up idolising on the northern beaches.
“It's probably the biggest moment in my career," he told reporters.
“I grew up supporting the Waratahs as a NSW man and while I definitely never aspired to be in this position, I’m super grateful and very lucky to be here.
“I think it's an extremely important position and there's a lot of expectation from the captain. I really want to do the best job possible so the team can get the results that we want here.
“I'm desperate for this club to get some of the results it can and reach its potential.”
Philip takes over from good mate Jake Gordon, with the pair rising through the ranks together at Sydney Uni before debuting for Australia 12 months apart.
“Jake Gordon and I are really good friends. We've played together through our juniors and been mates for a long time. He's obviously done a great job over the last five years captaining the team," he believes.
“We spoke about it quite a bit. There's a lot of pressure and expectation that comes along with being a captain.To have him by my side during this as well, it's going to be really great. He's a great friend and he's done a really good job.”
The Waratahs will start their pre-season trials against the Reds this week before facing the ACT Brumbies next Thursday.
Philip, who joined the club from Yokohama Canon Eagles in Japan, is impressed with the growth of the squad under coach Dan McKellar, with the pair working together at the Wallabies level when McKellar was forwards coach.
“I think he's spoken a lot about it's not a super quick process, he's not going to come in the first year and think he's going to be perfect straight away," the lock explained.
“The group has that benefit of doing it for over a season now of Dan's philosophy and method so that's really given the boys confidence and created a connection through that.
“In terms of returning players, they've been unbelievable. Dan's obviously picked a lot of the players he's worked with before and knows what they can bring and how they can amalgamate a group with the likes of Pete Samu, Folau Fainga’a and Jack Debreczeni.”
