The NSW Waratahs are steeling themselves for a brutal schedule that could require playing for 13 straight weeks to retain their Super Rugby crown.
The Waratahs climbed into the top six for the first time this season and closed to within two competition points of Australian conference leaders the Brumbies with their hard-fought 23-11 victory over the Blues on Saturday night.
But 2014 title-winning captain Michael Hooper lamented an untimely bye this weekend that not only threatens to stall the Tahs' momentum from back-to-back wins, but also precedes a demanding 10-game stretch before the finals.
The quirky draw dealt the champions two byes in the opening six rounds, with the Waratahs to resume their title push, after an Easter weekend off, against the Stormers in Sydney on April 11.
"I would really like to carry on now," Hooper said.
"Two wins in a row, to play a few more teams would have been nice.
"But you've got do deal with the draw and have this week off and roll into our first South African team of the year now, which is a different kettle of fish and a different (style of) game."
For Hooper and about a dozen other Wallabies in the Waratahs' ranks, the 2015 playing calendar is even more gruelling in a World Cup year.
If the Waratahs make another Super Rugby final, the squad's Test stars face the prospect of playing 17 matches in the next 19 weeks before entering camp with the Wallabies ahead of Australia's September 23 World Cup opener against Fiji in Cardiff.
Waratahs and Wallabies coach Michael Cheika admits he needs to manage the workload of his Super Rugby champions carefully and he plans to cut right back on their training in select weeks.
"We'll just pick two (weeks) and give the guys a chance to mentally step back as well as physically so they can be fresh for the run. Especially the way we play, that's vital."
The Waratahs will be boosted after the bye by the return of Wallabies centre Adam Ashley-Cooper, who has been sidelined for more than a month with a knee injury, and Test hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau from a fortnight out following a head knock.
With NSW receiving no points for next weekend's bye, their round-14 return derby with the Brumbies in Canberra looms as potentially decisive in the race for conference honours and home semi-final hosting rights.
The Waratahs and Brumbies, who have both won four from six, appear the only Australian sides capable of reaching the finals after a round-seven loss for the Melbourne Rebels and a dismal defeat for the Queensland Reds.
The Rebels slipped to two from six with a 36-12 loss to unbeaten competition leaders the Hurricanes in Wellington, while the Reds are second-last after slipping up 18-17 at home against the Lions despite the return of a cast of stars including playmaker Quade Cooper.
With Queensland having just one win so far this campaign, the pressure is mounting on coach Richard Graham to turn the Reds' fortunes around.
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