NSW Waratahs expect opposing Super Rugby teams to study and possibly follow Western force’s successful game plan against them, but believe they know how to counter the strategy.

The Force succeeded in slowing play down last Sunday and not allowing the Waratahs to play the expansive free-flowing rugby that was a hallmark of their charge to the title last year.

Waratahs coach Michael Cheika noted after the game that his side was unable to get any flow and attributed it to the stop-start nature of the game, which he said was by the Force’s design.

After scoring a hatful of tries and regularly carving up defences in a nine-match winning run to the 2014 title, the Waratahs recognise other teams may view the Force’s game plan as the template on how to beat them.

“Potentially teams are going to look at how the Force played and how to beat us,” Waratahs lock Mitchell Chapman said.

“I think when we’ve got the ball we’ve got to hold onto it and not make as many mistakes, because that leads to setpiece and it slows the game down.”

While the Force entered last Sunday’s game as a big underdog, Chapman was adamant the Waratahs didn’t take them lightly.

“All our preview stuff we did before the game, we were well aware of the strength the Force had,” Chapman said.

“We focused a lot on the setpiece. I thought our setpieces held up really well.

“They just played to their strengths, they slowed the game down.”

NSW hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau acknowledged the effectiveness of the tactics, which forced the Waratahs to play at the tempo the visitors wanted.

“I thought we could have sped it up, but I thought they did really well in terms of playing to their own game plan,” Polota-Nau said.

“Whereas I think we succumbed to the level of slowness that they brought to it.”