Bernard Foley says the Waratahs are working hard to broaden their game plan © Getty Images

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New South Wales Waratahs won't be resting on their attacking laurels of 2014, with playmaker Bernard Foley excited by the chance to evolve the side's game plan for their Super Rugby title defence.

The Waratahs earned rave reviews last season, as well as a maiden title, for an attractive style of play other sides struggled to contain. A willingness to move the ball from anywhere on the field saw them finish the regular season with seven straight bonus-point victories before wins over the Brumbies and Crusaders delivered the ultimate prize - a first Super Rugby trophy.

Speaking to ESPN following a brutal training session in the Sydney sun, Foley said the Waratahs' attacking attitude hadn't shifted but the entire squad was well aware of the need to evolve - particularly after coach Michael Cheika had worked with players from other Australian franchises while on Wallabies duty.

"It's very clear now; lots of teams know how we play and have an understanding," Foley told ESPN. "A lot of the Wallaby guys, Australian players, have now had an experience with [Michael] Cheika so they know what he's about and everything.

"We have to, as every team has to year on year, adapt and evolve our game and be innovative. And that's the exciting thing for the playmakers and the thinkers of the team; we have to come up with ideas and strategies, and still be very good at what our strength [attacking] is. If we're doing that well enough then teams are going to struggle to contain us, but we've also got to be smarter in how we do it and bring in a few new things."

One of the key components of the Waratahs' success from last year was Foley's combination with halfback Nick Phipps and inside-centre Kurtley Beale. The trio had never played in that alignment before, and Beale's exposure to No.12 had been limited. But it didn't take long for the combinations to build and, with Foley and Beale able to mix and match at first receiver, opposition sides struggled to defend the Waratahs' vast array of attacking options.

Bernard Foley, Nick Phipps and Kurtley Beale run the show for the Waratahs © Getty Images

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Still, Foley said the playmaking trio had been working hard to re-establish their communication channels ahead of what is sure to be a greater defensive presence in 2015.

"I think this time last year we were playing together for the first time, especially in that 10-12 [combination] and with Nick [Phipps] as well. The whole halves combination was playing a new style which I was pretty much the only one [of the three] familiar with. Twelve months down the track it's exciting but we can't be under any illusions that we are going to click like we did last year. There is a lot of hard work and we've got to get the talk and communication happening. It's just great to be running around with Kurtley and Nick, and a lot of the other guys who are rearing to go and ready to get into this 2015 season."

The Waratahs will ramp up their preparations with a series of short games against Shute Shield opposition before facing the Chiefs in a trial match at Campbelltown Stadium on February 6.

They then open the regular season with three straight games against Australian conference rivals, Western Force, Melbourne Rebels and Queensland Reds. Such a run may have been deemed an easy first few weeks in years gone by, but Foley is preparing for some tough derbies in 2015.

"The Australian conference - you can't write off a team at all," he said. "The beauty about the Super 15 is that every team you play you have to be on-song or you get knocked off. There's no games where you can just rock up and get four or five [competition] points and when you think in that mentality you get beaten. We're going to have to be really switched on.

"The Brumbies are always strong - they have been for a generation. The Reds, with a couple of new imports, are going to be very strong; and the Force are going from strength to strength. And another year under Tony McGahan down at the Rebels, those guys are going to be a lot better for it. You could see their strengths coming through [with Melbourne Rising] in that NRC and they'll only be better for that."