The NSW Waratahs head to Perth this week eyeing the first ever Australian clean sweep in the revamped Super Rugby competition.

But claiming that his side are playing "more like Black Jack rather than Patience", coach Chris Hickey says the Waratahs will need to raise the stakes for the Western Force on Saturday night.

Hickey was less than pleased with the Waratahs' erratic second-half display in Friday night's 23-16 victory over the Chiefs at the Sydney Football Stadium.

The Tahs led 20-6 at the break but had to produce a mighty second-half defensive effort to keep the Chiefs at bay after continually handing over the pill.

"We lost game control," Hickey said.

"We should have controlled possession. If we controlled possession, we would have controlled the game for the second 40 minutes.

"All the possession the Chiefs had, that they attacked off, came from us.

"It wasn't from set piece. It was from our turnovers from possession, trying to offload when it wasn't necessary, not being patient when we had the ball, poor kicking.

"So we fed them the possession that they played off, which is disappointing."

Of greatest concern was NSW's errant kicking, with the Tahs' inability to find touch prompting the 20,000-plus crowd to chant "Don't kick the ball, don't kick the ball" in the tense closing stages.

"I don't think it's a matter of don't kick the ball. It's if you kick it, kick it well. And if you can't kick it well, don't kick it," Hickey said.

"We were definitely guilty of that in the second half. Our kicking was inaccurate and that provided opportunities for their back three to come into the game.

"So that's certainly an area that we've really got to take a close look at and we really need to improve that area of our game."

Just as they capitulated after captain Phil Waugh was injured against the Crusaders in Nelson and then slumped to a shocking loss to the Cheetahs in his absence the following game, the Waratahs lost their way after their inspirational skipper went off with about half an hour remaining on Friday.

Hickey and Waugh, though, denied NSW lack leadership when the flanker's absent.

"I don't think that's an issue," Hickey said.

"We like to have Phil out there; he provides strong on-field leadership.

"But we've got three others out there (winger Drew Mitchell, flanker Ben Mowen and lock Dean Mumm) that are part of that leadership group and the signs were there when Phil was on the park - in the first 10 minutes of the second half - when we turned over three possessions.

"If we had valued them, we possibly convert those line breaks into tries and then the game's really in our control.

"We didn't do that."

With Waugh suffering a calf strain, he - along with fullback Lachie Turner (elbow) and prop Benn Robinson (rib) - all must prove their fitness before lining up against the Force.

Having already conquered the Melbourne Rebels (43-0), Queensland Reds (30-6) and Brumbies (29-22), victory over the Force would provide the Waratahs with an Australian conference grand slam.

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