NSW captain Phil Waugh and No.8 Wycliff Palu have been named in the Waratahs' squad to play the Crusaders, but will first need to prove their fitness before the team flies out to New Zealand on Friday.

Waratahs' coach Chris Hickey named a 24-man squad for Saturday's Christchurch clash, with Chris Alcock and Locky McCaffrey, who made their Super 14 debuts against the Cheetahs last Saturday also included.

"Cliffy and Phil are both coming along pretty well and we're going to provide them with every opportunity to prove their fitness," said Hickey.

"This is a big match for both teams and you want to take your experienced campaigners into big clashes such as these.

"That said, however, Chris Alcock did a fantastic job last weekend against the Cheetahs and didn't look out of place starting at Super 14 level.

"We'll put them through their paces on Thursday morning, see how they pull up in the afternoon and will make a call in the evening as to who we take when we fly on Friday morning."

Hickey said the team will be aiming to build on the momentum gained from the last five weeks, in the final match before the bye.

"You can't win the comp and you can't earn a finals berth in the middle part of the season but you can certainly lose touch if you don't pick up points," he said.

"We've been able to generate a lot of momentum since coming back from South Africa and our performances are becoming more consistent across the park.

"While there is a core of the squad which has been here for a while, there are a number of new players in important positions and it takes time for those combinations to come together.

"Having now strung together a number of wins I think we're seeing the benefit of time spent together on the field and hopefully we can take that another step forward on Saturday."

NSW squad: Backs: Sosene Anesi, Berrick Barnes, Kurtley Beale, Luke Burgess, Tom Carter, Daniel Halangahu, Josh Holmes, Rob Horne, Drew Mitchell, Lachie Turner. Forwards: Chris Alcock, Al Baxter, Will Caldwell, Dave Dennis, Kane Douglas, Damien Fitzpatrick, Sekope Kepu, Locky McCaffrey, Ben Mowen, Dean Mumm, Wycliff Palu, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Benn Robinson, Phil Waugh.

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