Waratahs coach Michael Foley has breathed a sigh of relief after his side wrapped up a bonus point victory against the Rebels.

Last weekend the 'Tahs let a victory against the Reds slip through their fingers in the dying seconds, but there was no room for choking in the 35-19 win against the Rebels.

"To turn around after six days and the disappointment of last week to come away with that result was very pleasing," Foley said.

"The Rebels tested us at the breakdown and took a lot of energy out of us but credit to the boys they kept at it."

The Waratahs secured their four-try bonus point early on in the second half thanks to some very leaky defence from the Rebels.

Oddly Foley pulls his punches and praised the Rebels tacklers.

"The Rebels defence was really good, at times they were able to lift us up and drive us backwards; they tested us at the breakdown but we still stuck at it," he said.

Rebels coach Damien Hill was more realistic in his assessment of the match, lamenting his side's high number of missed tackles.

"We missed 30 tackles in the first half and only four in the second and that's when we were competitive," Hill said.

"We know the problems are fixable."