Lions backrower Jamie Heaslip will pay his respect to his former coach Michael Cheika Jamie Heaslip of the Lions poses after a British and Irish Lions training session at North Sydney Oval. Picture: David Rogers. HE may not have heard of half of the Waratahs side but just one name attached to NSW Rugby will ensure Lions backrower Jamie Heaslip pays due respect to his rivals tomorrow night. Heaslip is one of six Irishmen in the Lions squad who played under Waratah coach Michael Cheika at Leinster, and while the Tahs may be missing eight Test stars, he knows his old mentor will have fringe players fired-up to make a mark. "Knowing Cheiks he's definitely sticking it to the guys who are there that this is their chance, because those guys aren't around," Heaslip said. I don't know what sort of shape the Waratahs were in before but he will have put in some good systems for bringing through young players. He's a big believer of hard work and effort. You can have all the skill in the world but if you're not putting in hard work, that's not what Cheiks want to see. That's how he played, and I am sure the boys will tell you how he played, he was a hard nut. Some would say a mad man at times," Heaslip said. These guys are going to be well drilled, and a hard team with Cheika in charge. Lions coach Warren Gatland was also effusive in his praise of the Tahs, who are still a long way off their full-strength team. I was impressed with them against the Force. Their breakdown is excellent, their attacking players stay square, so they're a really good outfit. They're missing a few players but going to Perth and winning that game would have given them a huge amount of confidence," Gatland said. Watching the Waratahs at the moment, technically, they're excellent. The breakdown stuff, they're very strong.