Zac Guildford is eager to make the most of his latest opportunity with the Waratahs in Sydney.

Zac Guildford says he is "over" making mistakes with alcohol and is determined to repay the faith of Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson as he sets about his return to Super Rugby.

The Sydney franchise has given the former All Blacks wing a lifeline with a deal to return to southern hemisphere rugby's provincial showpiece after the Hawke's Bay star cut short his deal at French club Clermont.

READ MORE:

* The Bachelor Art Green beats Guildford in fight

* Guildford determined to conquer alcohol abuse

As the Waratahs immerse themselves in preseason training, Guildford has opened up to Australian media about his troubled past and admitted the sudden death of his father was a trigger for his problems.

Guildford's father died in the grandstands while his son scored two tries as New Zealand won the 2009 under-20 World Cup final in Tokyo.

"It messed me up big time," Guildford told foxsports.com.au.

"I went from I guess jubilation and then five minutes later I found out that my dad passed away, and I'm looking in the stands and my mum's crying.

"I guess it was pretty difficult for me to go from such a high to such a low in five minutes and I never really got to celebrate that win with the team obviously, but my dad died doing what he loved, and that was watching me and being part of rugby."

Guildford entered troubled territory off the field that led to him losing his New Zealand contract, with the Crusaders growing tired of his antics.

He believes he is ready to make a new start without using the old excuses.

"Obviously being a bit older now - 26 going on 27 now - I'm over it to tell you the truth," Guildford, a 2011 World Cup winner, said.

"I'm over making those same mistakes that I make and obviously with dad's passing, I used that for an excuse for a long time, but now I can just put little steps in place.

"I can't say that I'll never ever drink again, but for the moment I'm pretty happy not doing it (drinking).

"I need to make my dad proud now and play some awesome rugby, and do well off the field, and by doing that it'll bring a whole lot of peace to him upstairs and also the rest of my family."

Gibson, the former All Blacks midfield back who has stepped up from an assistant's role to take charge of the Waratahs, persuaded Guildford to make the shift across the Tasman.

Guildford said it was Gibson's personal touch that ultimately led to him deciding to go to Sydney after initial misgivings.

"I just had a few external voices – friends and guys that cared about me – saying 'I don't think Sydney is a good place for you, you're just running away again'," he said of thinking twice about the Waratahs offer.

"I sort of had to sit down and think, and I also had a few other Super Rugby teams that were kind of interested.

"But then Gibbo came over again and that just showed me he was committed to me, so I committed to the team and now that I'm here, I'm loving it.

"It showed me that he wanted me as a rugby player and to be a part of an organisation, but also that he actually cared about me outside of rugby.

"I think that's pretty cool from him and that we can connect on that personal level and hopefully transfer it into rugby."