Waratahs need 'complete' game to beat Chiefs, says Lion Roberts

SYDNEY : Jamie Roberts is looking forward to locking horns with former coach Warren Gatland next weekend but thinks the New South Wales Waratahs will need to produce a complete performance to get past the Waikato Chiefs in the Super Rugby playoffs.

Roberts played under Chiefs' director of rugby Gatland for his entire Wales career and for the British and Irish Lions, but the pair will be on opposing sides when the Waratahs travel to Hamilton on Saturday looking to win a spot in the semi-finals.

"I love playing against your old coach, I've been lucky to do it a few times in my career and you always want to prove a point," the Waratahs centre told reporters on Monday.

"Warren has been a massive influence on my career at test level so I'm very happy to go to Hamilton, it's a great place to play rugby."

Roberts, who moved to Sydney on a one-year deal for this season, said he was not surprised that the Waratahs had managed to get into the playoffs even though they failed to win a single match last season.

"It took me a week here to get a vibe of the place and I was always really impressed by the whole set up here," the 35-year-old added.

"It's a kind of high challenge, high motivation environment and when you put an environment like that in place, it's no surprise the growth we've seen in the team this year."

Such has been the improvement that the Waratahs have notched up three wins against New Zealand-based teams, although their heaviest defeat did come amongst a flurry of yellow cards against the Chiefs.

Roberts, who has played in more than his fair share of big matches over a career in which he won 94 test caps for Wales and three for the Lions, said he thought the Waratahs could win on Saturday if they managed to play their