Forced to watch on from the sidelines as his Waratahs team-mates claimed a maiden Super Rugby crown, Dave Dennis has returned with renewed ambition as he prepares to lead New South Wales in their title defence.

Cruelly sidelined with an anterior cruciate ligament injury after the Waratahs' round 17 clash with the Brumbies in Sydney, the 29-year-old underwent a third knee reconstruction. He is now hungrier than ever for Super Rugby success after many months of rehab.

"Obviously we've got team ambitions and goals, but you also have your own ambitions and goals, and I was disappointed to miss out on the finals," Dennis told ESPN. "There is a little bit of a fire inside me to say that I want to be part of an on-field winning final; so yeah, that's there. But for me it's just about getting back and trying to play that first game again and just getting back to where I was last year."

After making it through the Waratahs' final trial match against the Chiefs in Campbelltown, Dennis' focus has turned to the season opener against Western Force in Sydney on Sunday. Coach Michael Cheika has attempted to distance his side from the label of "reigning champions", but Dennis says the squad can still take confidence in the knowledge their style of rugby produces strong results.

"I think it's given the squad a little bit of confidence in the sense that we know the style of rugby we play can win matches," Dennis said. "I think that's positive, it gives you a bit of confidence in that regard.

"But like I said we're well aware we need to be a better team; it's such a brutal and tough competition that you look at history: apart from the Crusaders, who had a long dominant period there, teams rarely have a long stint of success; and that's our goal as a club to not only have last year, which is great for us, but to have a number of years moving forward into the future.

Dave Dennis is a key figure for the Waratahs © Getty Images

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"We're well aware that we need to be a better team this year if we're to experience similar results as last year. We're really striving to be just a better team - that's our focus."

Cheika, meanwhile, was pleased with Dennis' form against the Chiefs - when the captain played 40 minutes after entering the fray much earlier than expected; Dennis went on just 15 minutes into the trial, after Mitchell Chapman suffered a head clash that left the starting second-row with "a bit of blood everywhere, all over the back of his head, front of his head".

Dennis would be able to start against Western Force, Cheika said after the Chiefs trial in Campbelltown, noting "there might be a cap on time, whether it's off the bench or starting".

"He's put in a good hard shift," Cheika said of Dennis' efforts to recover from his knee injury. "He's put in in the off-season. He went away to the States, focused for a few weeks and getting himself in the right shape, just dedicated himself to that, and that put him in good stead to come back in the pre-season and get up to scratch to play [the trial against the Chiefs]."

From the Chiefs trial, which was always his designated first game, to the Force and beyond, Dennis is key to the Tahs' title defence. And Super Rugby form will surely see him in contention for Cheika's Wallabies squads for the Rugby Championship and the Rugby World Cup. Dennis admits he has a desire to be part of the World Cup campaign, but he isn't looking that far ahead.

"Honestly not at this stage," Dennis told ESPN. "I'd like to go; I don't think there is a player in Australia who wouldn't want to go; I'm happy to say I'd love to go to the World Cup. But, for me, honestly, my real goal is to get back on the field, get my body right, hopefully remain injury free and try to really contribute to this team being a lot better."

Australia's Super Rugby captains are all hoping to put injury behind them © Getty Images

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