Dan McKellar has got in early and lit the fuse ahead of the Waratahs’ trip to Queensland next week, saying they’ll have to go up another level against the “best team in the comp” to keep their unbeaten streak alive.
Asked to clarify whether he said the Reds were the best team in Super Rugby, McKellar doubled down on his hot take.
“Yeah, I did say that,” the former Reds prop said.
“If you press rewind and have a look at the vision, I said the Reds are the best team in the comp.”
A nice early shot, in that case?
“You take it how you want to take it,” McKellar concluded, with a wink.
Dan McKellar has helped lead the Waratahs to their best start in Super Rugby since 2009. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Perhaps he was envisioning the unbeaten Reds smashing the Crusaders on Sunday afternoon to round out the fourth week of the competition, but the Townsville-raised 48-year-old has never shied away from setting the cat amongst the pigeons.
Indeed, during his time at the Brumbies, McKellar often poked the bear in a bid to generate publicity, but he also didn’t mind engaging in mind games.
That seemingly won’t change in McKellar’s second stint as a head coach in Super Rugby after some seriously big bait was not only being thrown in Queensland’s direction, but also across the ditch.
It also comes at a fascinating time in Australian rugby, with McKellar one of the leading Australian candidates to succeed outgoing Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt along with Les Kiss and Stephen Larkham.
Nonetheless, McKellar, whose hard-edge style didn’t make him especially popular during his brief stint at Leicester, said the Waratahs wouldn’t get ahead of themselves despite claiming their third straight win in 2025 – a first since 2009 – by smashing the Force 34-10.
“We won’t be falling in love with ourselves after tonight or the first three games,” McKellar said.
“Anyone can beat anyone at the moment.
“Our challenge will come when we go away from home. Winning at home is nice, but winning away from home, they’re the really special memories. So that’s going to be the challenge for us over the next few weeks.”
Max Jorgensen scored twice in the Waratahs’ big win over the Force. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
After struggling to find fluency in their game during the opening couple of weeks of the competition, the Waratahs managed to put together their best performance of the year against a Force side that had shown real signs of growth.
Indeed, not only did the Waratahs score six tries, with four coming from the backs, but their defence stood tall during the first-half when the Force threw plenty at the home side.
Then the Waratahs’ scrum really went to work, with Angus Bell enjoying a fine night.
But he wasn’t alone, with the hard edge coming right across the team from Ben Grant to Charlie Gamble, Henry O’Donnell to Jorgensen.
