THEY may be coming off a confidence-boosting win, but the Waratahs are already wary of the taking on the wounded Chiefs this Saturday night.

The Kiwis were outclassed 32-14 in their opening round local derby against the Blues on Saturday, but the Waratahs, while bouyed by their 20-3 win over the Hurricanes at the Sydney Football Stadium, have not won in Hamilton since 2002.

Despite the Chiefs having been bitten twice in a row in their biggest local derby - after losing 18-11 in 2007 - expectation is heightened among the Waratahs that a warm welcome won't be forthcoming.

"It hasn't been a great venue for us. We have had a couple of tight losses there," Waratahs coach Ewen McKenzie said of his side's past two visits to Hamilton since he took the helm from Bob Dwyer in 2004. That year, NSW lost their third game in a row for that season, a 32-17 loss that ex-captain Chris Whitaker - now playing in Ireland - even recognised could lead fans to believe they had begun an "annual meltdown".

The Waratahs didn't fare much better on their next visit to Hamilton, with the Chiefs snaring a 37-33 win. As McKenzie yesterday began to plot ways of regaining the form at Hamilton that secured NSW wins in 1998, 2000 and 2002, he spoke of the importance of this clash, even though it is only round two.

Besides it offering the Waratahs vital Super 14 points, and the self-confidence and momentum a team gets with back-to-back wins, McKenzie sees the chance for the Waratahs - despite their recent wobbles - to throw another monkey from their backs.

They have learnt how to beat the Brumbies in Canberra. They have learnt how to beat the Queensland Reds. They have learnt how to win in South Africa. Now they must learn how to win in Hamilton - and in six days.

"It is a game which is pretty important for us to get right. It has been a thorn in our side, winning over there, so it will be a real challenge for us," said McKenzie, who rates the Kiwis' speed as one of their greatest assets.

"The Chiefs [are] probably one of the fastest sides of the competition, not dissimilar to the Hurricanes. They play a little differently, but they have strike power and can play from everywhere. We have got to be able to test them out in different ways. It is going to be another strategic game … [but] different to the one we just played."

McKenzie has not ruled out making changes to his line-up, although he was reluctant to expand on that yesterday.

He is expected to have a full compliment of players when he names his team tomorrow, even if there are "lots of bumps and bruises" that will force some players from "doing much at the front end of the week".

Asked about the odds of altering his side, McKenzie said: "Possibly. But we are mindful that combinations are important. You don't want to be chopping and changing for the sake of it, unless there is some really good reason."

Blindside breakaway Rocky Elsom, who was one of the stars for the Waratahs on Saturday, warned against reading too much into the errors and missed tackles by the Chiefs that allowed the Blues to get a bonus-point win.

"Their execution seems to let them down when they are away from home," Elsom said. "But when they are at home they are on song."

NSW will draw plenty of confidence from a polished performance from the forward pack, and no one had a better view than the man behind them, halfback Brett Sheehan.

"They played really well. They really got us over the advantage line and set the tone for the night," said Sheehan, who played 53 minutes before being replaced by Luke Burgess.

McKenzie is also confident Saturday's win would settle a few nerves.

"There was plenty riding on the game for us, like getting the crowds back and getting back to winning. The anxiety was there," he said. "The fact we won means we can move on and start focusing on '08 and hopefully stop answering too many questions about '07."