Waratahs prop Sekope Kepu says he can't wait to pack down against former teammate Tatafu Polota-Nau on Saturday but has warned the Western Force's new recruit they won't be mates when they get onto the turf of Allianz Stadium in the opening round of Super Rugby.
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Polota-Nau would not have believed his misfortune when the Force were matched up with the Waratahs to open their season.
Having spent his entire career at NSW, the Wallabies hooker will have his work cut out when he comes face to face with a determined Waratahs front row of Kepu, Tolu Latu and Tom Robertson wanting to stamp their authority on the competition.
"I'm sure there will be a few face rubbings in the ground, that's all part of the game ... but come game time everyone on the opposition is not your mate until after," Kepu said. "It's going to be awesome if we do get the chance to play against each other.
"He's a massive plus for them and he'll play well when he comes on."
Polota-Nau was named on the bench by new coach Dave Wessels, with Force captain Heath Tessmann set to be given the starting spot instead.
Waratahs forwards coach Cam Blades said he was not sure why Polota-Nau didn't get starting honours but made it clear his men would not underestimate his impact.
"He's obviously a world-class hooker and a great scrummaging hooker as well and we'll be showing him the utmost respect when he comes on by really accepting that challenge and taking him on," Blades said. "We'll really respect them by going as hard as we can at them and trying to break them down in that area."
Blades said his forwards would be licking their lips at the rainfall expected to drench Sydney before kick-off.
Forecasts of up to 20 millimetres of rain are expected in Sydney, which is likely to create a game dominated by forwards in the middle of the park.
"It will bring the game in a little bit tighter but we've trained through the off-season for all sorts of conditions so we're pretty confident in our game," Blades said. "We think we can adapt to it well and hopefully we adapt to it better than they do."
Kepu said he was excited for what will be his first proper Waratahs outing since departing for France in 2015.
"[I'm] pretty pumped, never felt like this before a Super Rugby competition," Kepu said. "I like the style we're going to try and play this year and the way Daryl wants us to play."
The Waratahs' scrum was well below par at the beginning of last season before Tom Robertson led a mid-year revival.
Kepu hopes he and Robertson can establish a solid platform from the get-go, something they will need to do before a difficult assignment to South Africa.
"It's that consistency and that mental application to be able to front up every scrum and not let the opposition get a sniff," Kepu said. "When you build that aura and that reputation as a scrum then you kind of win that battle before you get out on the field. That's something we're aiming to do."
