Getting a home semi is as difficult as finishing one or two and takes considerable consistency. Consistency in accumulating points and, this goes to the performance, consistency of the team and individuals.

Recruitment of players and staff that can reproduce the energy and effort each week is a significant recruitment objective. The player who wins you a game and man of the match every fourth week is less valuable if he does nothing in the other three weeks. Four losses from 13 games will end your top two dreams and sometimes this can happen before the season is half over.

The other dynamic that needs to be conquered is the ability to win on the road.

Sports science studies now know that blood testing reveals higher levels of testosterone in the home players than the away players. In plain English, the players feel bigger, stronger, faster in a familiar environment with family, friends and well-wishers cheering them on. This creates the important ingredient - confidence.

Understanding this is one thing. Doing something about it is another. The phenomenon of home and away difference is reflected best in soccer where away goals have more value. Away wins the same.

In rugby this is not recognised other than having the venue and crowd advantage. When I played rugby in France, I learned quickly that a 50-point win at home could quickly turn into a 50-point loss on the road against the same team and players.

You could visibly see that the attitudes change so much that an away game was a waste of a weekend. Improving your prospects on the road is a critical factor in getting to the competition semis.

For the Waratahs, the 2008 draw meant we had more games on the road than at home so taking on this dynamic was a significant factor. Three wins and a draw on the road and an unblemished home record gave us second by a single point. There were missed bonus point opportunities along the way but significantly you earnt the most points for winning, which you need to do consistently.

I am not going to reveal the details of our away game strategies suffice to say that the details were never left to chance and that definitely counts.

Tonight's game allows us the benefit of the home ground, which statistically sees us winning 85 per cent of our matches. Looking at the Sharks though would suggest that bigger, stronger, faster are attributes that they will also bring to the table.

Word around is that the victorious NSW Blues State of Origin team shared the same Coogee hotel and they were amazed at their size. They will definitely be competitive in a physical sense as they were the number one team in 2007 and lost the final.

They have a strong history of winning on the road in Super rugby so the task is big. The good news for the Tahs is that they will play in front of the biggest home crowd of the year and that might be just the edge we need.

In recent weeks we've played in some of the biggest cauldrons in the game. Loftus for a narrow three point loss, Newlands for a tense 13-all draw and Suncorp for a hard fought 18-11 win.

Phil Waugh and the boys have travelled a tough road in wet and hostile conditions leading up to this home semi. They thoroughly deserve to be playing in front of a buoyant NSW crowd. It will be a special night for many and could possibly be the last for several staff and players, at least at the SFS.

Emotions will run high but there is a clinical job to do and that's what we've been preparing for all year