Odd as it may sound, not reaching the last Super Rugby play-offs is the best thing that could have happened to the Melbourne Rebels, says their coach Dave Wessels.
As a result the Rebels embarked on searching self-examination and they've looked a much-improved unit, winning their first three matches of this campaign. They travelled to SA last week as one of only two unbeaten teams in Super Rugby.
"It really hurt at the time," said Wessels about the tackle the Highlanders put in on Jack Maddocks that denied them the crucial win. "The pain of that meant we made some substantial changes throughout."
They even changed the layout of their building. "All of that came out of an honest review. You need humility to admit that you don't know everything," explained Wessels.
He says the last few months have been the most enjoyable of his coaching career. "It has taken me a few years to figure out that there is a bunch of stuff I can't control.
"The one demand of the people in our environment we have is that they try to get better in everything they do. If you don't do that we are swift to make changes so we've ended up with a group of people that are the best version of themselves."
CONFIDENCE HAD TO BE RESTORED
It wasn't always like that. Some referred to them as the Melbourne Rabble. When Wessels arrived in the Victoria capital he walked into "a sad" environment.
"They didn't think they were any good. I think they won one game the previous year. They had a lot of off-field dramas.
"We needed to build a team made up of our strengths. We then tried to build a game around the things we are good at. Now, when we recruit we spend time with the player. We want the player and people to fit."
Though some may attribute their Super Rugby survival to the fact that the Western Force got the chop, Wessels contends they are not driven to reinforce a sense of belonging. "We've worked very hard connecting as people. The guys now eat lunch together, they didn't use to.
"Also, they have connected with Melbourne. It is one of the most liveable cities in the world. It is probably the sporting capital of the world." He points to the Aussie Open, the Australian Grand Prix, the Boxing Day cricket Test, nine big AFL teams, the NRL teams and of course the Melbourne Cup.
"It is an unbelievable sporting environment," said the 36-year-old. "For someone involved in sport it is massively stimulating.
"There is a huge rivalry for playing talent, coaching resources, specialist resources like medical staff and athletic performance staff. On the flipside there is a lot of shared intellectual experience. The people of Melbourne are obsessed with sport."
The Cape Town-born coach has aspirations of coaching at the highest level. There's the Wallabies, who knows, maybe the Boks. "I would love to coach Test rugby. I know I'm not ready for that yet. I've got to grow and make more mistakes. That is just such a high-pressure job. I'm enjoying where I am."..