Aaron Smith is expecting an improved Waratahs outfit this weekend © Getty Images

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They may have knocked off the in-form Chiefs in an upset last weekend but Highlanders star Aaron Smith says his side are in no doubt of the size of the challenge the Waratahs will present in Dunedin on Saturday.

Boasting a relatively unchanged side apart from a couple of tweaks to the pack, the Highlanders are after consistency as they chase a third win on the bounce. Speaking exclusively to ESPN on Thursday, Smith acknowledged the benefit of home-ground advantage but said his side would have to improve on last week if they were to topple the Waratahs, and pointed to the defending champions' huge Wallabies contingent.

"We're trying to keep consistency, that's the main thing in Super Rugby and we've got our best field out there," Smith told ESPN. "They're coming out to Dunedin; that helps us. We're playing at home and we like playing here. They've got a big pack, and when you play in (Forsyth Barr) stadium the ball stays in play a little bit longer, so hopefully we can run them around a little bit and try tire their forwards out.

"But these guys are quality players, they've got quality across the park; I think it's 14 Wallabies and one Springbok. So you've got a whole team of Test players so we know that we've got to get a few things really right to stay close to these guys. We'll just be focusing on those little things and if we can do that then we'll go close; but if we don't stop their go-forward and stop their backs it could be a long night."

While the Highlanders have improved steadily this season, the Waratahs have struggled; an opening loss to the Force and scrappy wins over the Reds and Rebels hardly reflecting their status as defending champions. But Smith won't let the Tahs' poor start dissuade him of how strong the side really is.

"They're a quality side and last year they proved that," he said. "Like I said about the whole depth in their squad; their squad has got wicked depth and they've got class players, something like 14 Wallabies in the starting line-up, that's pretty crazy. You're pretty much playing against a Test side, and they do play like that and they've got an awesome brand of footy they play; they move the ball really well and they've got a good forward pack and they'll play up front against you.

"They're a hard team to even fathom to try and beat. We've got to do some pretty few key things to try and slow them down and if we can do that we'll give ourselves a shot - but if you don't do those key things to slow that forward pack down they're a very hard machine to slow down. I definitely have no doubt they'll go close to the title again this year. But this comp is like a marathon not a sprint."

The Waratahs won last year's clash between the two sides in Sydney while the Highlanders triumphed 18-17 in their last meeting in Dunedin in 2012.