It’s the Brumbies invasion few saw coming 12 months ago – but now that Dan McKellar is at the Waratahs, the respected coach plans on not just turning around the Super Rugby franchise’s fortunes, but the country’s too.

Amid the fallout of the Wallabies’ record defeat last weekend, McKellar quietly slipped into Sydney last week from Europe and immediately turned his intention on masterminding the Waratahs’ revival.

After lasting less than a year at English heavyweights Leicester, the NSW Board and Rugby Australia pounced on his services when McKellar became a free agent in late June. Within weeks, the Queensland-𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 former Brumbies head coach was snapped up.

Did he hesitate about sleeping with the enemy after almost a decade with the Brumbies? Not one bit.

“No, none. Not at all – honestly,” McKellar told The Sydney morning Herald in his first interview since signing on as head coach.

“I’m pretty passionate, and I’ll be passionate about any team that I play for or that I coach. I was passionate about the Brumbies, and I still have an enormous amount of love and respect for that organisation and always will.

“But I can promise you I’ll be just as passionate – if not more – about the Waratahs. As a coach, you become connected to not just the organisation as a whole, but to the people within it.”

Although he won’t officially start with the Waratahs until the first week of November, the respected coach has already turned his attention to plotting the Super Rugby side’s revival.

McKellar knows only too well the importance of getting the Waratahs back on track.

When the Waratahs won their first – and only – Super Rugby title in 2014, the Wallabies made the World Cup final a year later.

Since then, however, the Waratahs’ slide down the Super Rugby standings has also coincided with the Wallabies winning around 40 per cent of Tests since 2016.

But throughout that time, McKellar’s Brumbies remained one of the few shining lights during a dark period of Australian rugby.

Indeed, the Brumbies made consecutive Super Rugby semi-final appearances in 2019 and 2022 (Covid-19 interrupted the 2020 and 2021) seasons and their set-piece prowess allowed them to go toe-for-toe with their trans-Tasman opponents.

Although McKellar’s stint at Leicester wasn’t as successful, the former prop said he returns to Australia a better coach for the experience where he worked alongside Argentine captain Julian Montoya, Springboks gun Handre Pollard and English stars Dan Cole and Freddie Steward.

“I really enjoyed it, the Premiership’s a good competition. I have definitely come back a better coach, there’s absolutely no doubt,” he said.

“I learnt plenty over there. I have come back a better coach and for me that’s a win.

“The Waratahs are a proud club with a rich history, and they play a massive role within the rugby landscape. I’ve spoken many times before about how passionate I am about the game in Australia.

“We all know that for Australia to thrive we need the Waratahs to thrive, and I think that I can help. So that’s why I jumped at this quickly.”

Despite the Waratahs’ bottom-place finish in 2024, expectations are already high for the NSW franchise to turn it around after an active season in the coaching and player market.

As well as bringing on respected Brumbies duo Dan Palmer (forwards) and Lachie McCaffrey (defence), McKellar has lured former World Cup winner turned assistant Mike Catt (attack) on his coaching ticket.

McKellar will also have no shortage of power to work with at the Waratahs, with Wallabies Taniela Tupou, Rob Leota and Andrew Kellaway to wear the blue jersey in 2025.

Then there’s Joseph Suaalii, the former Australian Schoolboy turned NRL star, who will also be at Daceyville after signing his mega three-year, million-dollar deal.

“There’s no lack of talent with the group,” he said.

Bringing all the pieces of the puzzle will be McKellar’s biggest challenge, but the well-regarded coach said he won’t simply be copying any previous tactics and injecting them at the Waratahs.

“We’re going to play a style that suits the playing group,” McKellar said.

“We’re going to have a powerful and skilful team. We’ll have powerful front-rowers that can play, and a decent amount of strike in the back line as well. We want to make sure those players get the ball in their hands. I think attack will come pretty naturally to this group.

“But at the same time, you’ve got to be able to roll your sleeves up and put your head in a dark place and be comfortable doing it. We’re going to be a team that loves the dark arts, and we’re going to love defence. We’re going to be a team that wants to stick in the fight, in the 78th-79th minute, to defend your line, and to fight and compete for every scrap.”

Known as a no-frills, demanding coach who runs a tight ship, McKellar appears to be exactly what the Waratahs need after losing their way over the past decade.

“I understand that it comes with the territory and I look forward to that challenge,” he said.

“I don’t think anyone puts any more pressure on me than I put on myself. I’ll demand high standards of my staff and my players, but the highest standards that I’ll demand of anyone will be of myself.”

Getting the best out of Tupou, who will be with the Waratahs in 2025 in what shapes as his final season in Super Rugby after three injury-riddled years, could potentially define McKellar’s tenure.

“You’ve got to understand what makes him tick and what motivates him individually – Taniela plays his best rugby when he’s happy and he’s got a smile on his face,” he said.

“I’ve got a relationship with Nela from my time with the Wallabies.

“He’s a player that is, on his day, as good as any in his position in the world. And he plays a position that’s incredibly important, it’s the cornerstone of your scrum and your maul. When he gets it right, he’s incredibly destructive.

“If you provide an environment where he’s happy and he feels like he’s being valued, then I think you’re a good chance of getting the best out of him. You’re not going to be able to sit there and yell and scream at Taniela and hit him with a stick. He’s a player that appreciates being challenged and he understands that hard work’s important.”