It's the ultimate battle of David vs Goliath.
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The winless Waratahs up against the Super Rugby Aotearoa champions, the Crusaders.
Bookmakers have led the charge in writing off NSW, the side $21 with the TAB while their opponents are $1.01.
But the Waratahs are desperate to ensure WIN Stadium is not the scene for another bloodbath on Saturday afternoon.
The team remains disappointed by their performance in Wollongong last year - a 51-14 loss to the Chiefs - and they are determined to produce an improved showing on Saturday.
While NSW make no secrets about the challenge they face, captain Jake Gordon urged fans not to write off his side.
"Winning [is the goal]," Gordon said. "Winning would be great, but we also don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves against a great Crusaders side.
"The pass mark for us is winning, that's what we'll be aiming to do.
"It hasn't been a great year for us as a team, but we feel like we're making gains in attack. Our defence needs improvement and we're trying to make shifts there."
The positivity that surrounded the sport following the conclusion of Super Rugby AU has quickly evaporated in the past fortnight.
Australian teams have lost all 10 matches played against New Zealand opposition through the first two weeks of the Trans-Tasman competition.
With plans for a fully integrated season in 2022, debate has swirled around the merits of Australia pulling out of such a structure.
For Gordon, however, the benefits of regularly playing New Zealand teams far outweigh the potential negatives.
"It's important after two years of Super Rugby AU that we get the chances to play against the Kiwis,'' he said.
"It's important to play against different brands of rugby, the Kiwis play and expansive game and it's another opportunity to test yourself.
"For the growth of younger players, it's important to play teams from different countries.
''The South Africans are bigger and rely on their forward pack; the Argentinians are more unpredictable; the Japanese are great with ball in hand and the Kiwis play an expansive game."
Saturday's clash will see the Waratahs play a Crusaders team boasting nine All Blacks, a group steered by experienced five-eighth Richie Mo'unga.
The flyhalf picked apart the Reds last week, scoring a hat-trick in a 63-28 win.
Such is the Crusaders' depth, however, the Waratahs know simply shutting Mo'unga down will not neutralise the side's attack.
"He's obviously a classy player but they've got great players across the park," Gordon said.
"He'll get opportunities across the game and we have to limit those, but we can't focus completely on him or someone else will get us unstuck."
- NSW Waratahs v Crusaders, Saturday May 29 3pm WIN Stadium.