'Don't tighten up': coach's memo to his 2026 Waratahs

After a hot start last year, the Tahs faded to finish eighth.

While that was a vast improvement on their 2023 wooden-spoon campaign, McKellar remains less than pleased with how his charges won only one match away from Allianz Stadium last year.

The no-nonsense coach knows the Waratahs can't afford to be road kill again if they want to challenge for silverware in 2026.

"We want to play well on Friday night and start the season well," McKellar told AAP ahead of the Tahs' season opener against the Queensland Reds in Sydney.

"We know we've got some early games at home, so build some momentum and certainly perform better on the road.

"And if we back up our home record and be better on the road, then the natural outcomes come from the back of that."

McKellar believes the Waratahs' dreadful away record is very much psychological.

"A lot of it is between the ears," he said.

"We haven't spoken a whole lot about it, but we just think it's a day-to-day thing for us - making sure we get our preparation right and our commitment to every day.

"And understanding when we get on the road that we get belief off the back of our preparation, so that's what it comes down to."

The Waratahs have lost experienced Wallabies forwards Taniela Tupou, Angus Bell, Dave Porecki, Rob Leota and Langi Gleeson this season.

But McKellar reckons the addition of try-scoring hooker Folau Fainga'a, back-row enforcer Pete Samu and classy lock and new captain Matt Philip compensate for their exits.

"I'm really pleased, couldn't be happier, to be honest, with where we're at," he said.

"The guys get an opportunity and we've been really specific around who we wanted to bring in from a recruitment point of view, and that's leaders of men and guys that have won trophies.

"We've added that, which is encouraging, and we've just got to transfer now."

The former Super Rugby AU title-winning mentor pulled a couple of selection surprises with his first team naming of the season on Wednesday, most notably starting young gun James Hendren at fullback ahead of Wallabies mainstay Andrew Kellaway.

Kellaway's relegation is sure to keep the Tahs on their toes, and McKellar is urging his side to hit the ground running against the highly rated Reds.

"We've trained really well for three months and now we've just got to transfer that," he said.

"We're really clear on what we look like as a rugby team and need to make sure that that transfers.

"You know, don't tighten up under the bright lights on the big stage, just go out there and do what we've been training for three months."