The rivals went hammer and tong for 90 minutes in a match that won't be remembered for the 1-all outcome, but for the way in which the two rivals did battle.

And even though the heavyweight matchup was more heated than your standard game, Tahs' centre back Niall Gibb doesn't necessarily expect the same type of tussle at Sir Jack Brabham Park on Saturday.

In fact, the English import hopes the rivals can "play a bit more football" in the round 10 showdown.

"The physicality was quite a surprise to me but being English, I love that sort of stuff," Gibb said.

"It's looking like a better pitch to play on this time around and hopefully it's more of a tactical battle."

Gibb, who was formerly part of a semi-pro league in the UK, made the move to Sydney to play football for a mate before venturing out west to tick off mandatory work for his VISA.

After spending a year at Parkes in 2020, the 27-year-old touched down at Orange in the lead-up to this year's campaign and has found a home at the sky blues.

So you might be wondering what his verdict is on the quality of play in the bush?

"Compared to the standard back home it's miles off," he said,

"But, coming here I didn't really know what to expect so I've just taken it in my stride. At first I didn't know if I wanted to play but each week I'm seeing progression."

It's been the story for Waratahs all season, and Gibb further touched on the glaring area that needs improvement.

"Finishing," he said.

"For the amount of chances we've had, we should have more goals. It's easy for us defenders to say that... maybe we need to be keeping more clean sheets."

Kick-off is 3.15pm from Jack Brabham.

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