Lineout general Stephen Hoiles said the side would change little in the lead-up to their sudden-death home game on July 26, except ready themselves for the biggest effort of their season. "I don't think we have to change too much and get caught up in the moment, it's a pretty humble side," Hoiles said.

"We just have to go out there and swing the club. It's a big motto of [coach Michael Cheika's] to just let the club go and trust that we've done enough work and we're a good enough side. Don't come off the field – win, lose or draw – feeling like you've left something out there. It's easy to say that, but it's hard to do it."

Before that time comes, Hoiles will lead a serious few sessions of work on the lineout, which suffered badly at the hands of Queensland in an otherwise one-sided match on Saturday. Injured captain Dave Dennis and returning second-rower Mitchell Chapman will be there, too, to ensure better-equipped sides cannot exploit what they saw in Brisbane.

"There's always potentially five or six people involved in one move and if one person is a couple of per cent out then a little bit of anxiety builds or there might be guys second-guessing themselves," Hoiles said. "[The Reds] picked up on one or two of our calls, which isn't the strangest thing to happen in Super Rugby with the technology. I think we fought our way out of it a little bit towards the end, so it's just about having a good look at it. The biggest thing is, if [the opposition] do know the calls, back yourself and not second-guess, and I think we were all guilty of that."

Hoiles has replaced Dennis at No.6 in the past two matches after the Test back-rower ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament against the Brumbies last month. The former Brumbies and NSW back-rower has been playing on a week-to-week contract with the Waratahs but, after a solid contribution this season, said it looked as if he would be given a permanent contract for next year.

Tempering the satisfaction in his triumphant comeback from what was believed to be a certain career-ending ankle injury is Hoiles' acute understanding of what Dennis must be going through. "It's the worst possible way to get a go like that ... I don't think anyone can actually imagine the pain he is going through," Hoiles said.  "It must be extremely hard for him to watch and I just hope he understands that he has still contributed a massive amount to this. In the back of people's minds, I reckon everyone still quietly thinks about him before they go on."