Waratahs hooker Julian Heaven used to wrap his pillow in a NSW flag and dream of being Tatafu Polota-Nau.

Now, the Easts hooker will get the chance to start against one of the best teams in Super Rugby the Blues on Saturday at Allianz Stadium.

The 23-year-old like many plied his craft in France before making the move back to Australia last season.

He debuted for Top 14 side Lyon in 2020 off the bench alongside fellow Australians Izack Rodda and Coby Fainga’a, playing twice off the bench as he spent the majority of his time in the Academy system.

“I felt like I learnt a lot when I was there in terms of set piece and contact, it was pretty big for me,” Heaven said.

“The emphasis they put on set-piece is huge. We focus here at the Tahs a lot on it and there’s discrepancy between what I was doing over there and I think it’s one of our strengths here.”

Heaven moved back to NSW and spent a full year impressing at the Shute Shield level, catching the eye of Darren Coleman to earn a call-up.

It’s been a remarkable rise since, not starting a game for the Waratahs during the trial period.

However, Dave Porecki’s ongoing Achilles issue opened up a spot for Heaven to press his claims and when Theo Fourie and Mahe Vailanu both suffered concussions, he was thrust into the starting side.

“It’s a dream come true, I’ve been wishing to do this since I was about six years old,” he reflects.

“I remember watching Tatafu Polota-Nau and he was my favourite player and I always just wanted to have a crack and do my family and my state proud.

“I used to rip the top of the Waratah flags up, open the hole up, stuff my pillow in and use that as a filler.

“It’s unreal. I’m a true fan of the Waratahs so it’s amazing to be here.”

Heaven will face a major test against a Blues pack stacked with All Black talent this weekend.

“We know they’re a big pack and they’re mobile, love to punch through the middle

“It’s just about dominating in the middle with the forwards, winning those contacts in the middle and then finishing on the edge

“It’s just that contact up front, running and tackling hard, getting those scrums and go from there.

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