NSW captain Phil Waugh admits the Waratahs will be flat out beating the Bulls, let alone romping to a bonus-point victory over the smarting South Africans in Saturday night's Super 14 clash in Sydney.

Right on cue, the annual inquisition into the Waratahs' inability to accrue bonus points has begun in the countdown to the pivotal round-nine encounter at the SFS.

Despite holding down equal-second spot and having the opportunity to open up an eight-point buffer over the fourth-placed Bulls, NSW are once again under pressure to start piling on the tries.

Waugh, though, insists the Waratahs' priority heading towards the finals will continue to be winning - and winning ugly if that means maintaining their lofty position on the ladder.

"You've just got to win the games," he said on Wednesday.

"At the end of a competition, you think we could have picked up bonus points here and there. But if you go into a game, you go in to win it.

"It's not something that you create in the first 20 or 30 minutes of the game. It's about nailing your opportunities."

Waugh acknowledged that nailing their opportunities has been the one quality lacking from the Waratahs' otherwise successful game over the first half of the season.

Only three sides have scored less than NSW's 17 tries and creating chances against a Bulls side chasing their fourth consecutive win over the Tahs will not be easy.

"They're a dangerous team. They certainly pride themselves on their dominance up front," Waugh said.

"(Morne) Steyn directs them pretty well around the field and they've obviously got (Bryan) Habana back in there now which gives them strikepower out wide.

"They've got a pretty well-balanced team. It's important for us to build on our performance against the Stormers.

"I thought we were pretty good, apart from probably scoring points."

Along with the Crusaders, the Bulls were the only other team to knock over the Waratahs last season and will be desperate for some success on their Australasian tour after back-to-back defeats in New Zealand.

Waugh said he was unsure how the Waratahs - many of whom were close friends and former teammates of Shawn Mackay - would respond to the Brumbies forward's death this week.

"Shawn's loss is going to effect everyone in Australian rugby in some way and this weekend I think for all Australian teams is going to be a tough one," he said.

"But it's about channelling that emotion and putting it into a good performance on the rugby field."

Waratahs coach Chris Hickey on Wednesday named an unchanged squad, sticking with the 22 which downed the Stormers 12-6 last Saturday night.

Hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau will earn his 50th cap for NSW.

Waratahs: Sam Norton Knight, Lachie Turner, Rob Horne, Tom Carter, Lote Tuqiri, Daniel Halangahu, Luke Burgess, Wycliff Palu, Phil Waugh (capt), Ben Mowen, Will Caldwell, Dean Mumm, Dan Palmer, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Benn Robinson. Res: Damien Fitzpatrick, Sekope Kepu, Chris Thomson, Luke Doherty, Brett Sheehan, Kurtley Beale, Timana Tahu.

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