They say you've got to experience the lows to fully appreciate the highs. And boy, have Wales experienced some lows this year.
The nadir came when Ange Capuozzo went dancing up the right-hand touchline of the Principality Stadium, sending Edoardo Padovani over for Paolo Garbisi to boot Italy to their first ever win over Wales in their own backyard.
A year after wrapping up the grand slam, the knives were out for head coach Wayne Pivac with 18 months to go until the Rugby World Cup. He was never in danger of actually losing his job but the pressure was significant. A disastrous tour to South Africa this summer would have put the Welsh Rugby Union in an extremely undesirable position.
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Fast forward a few months and suddenly the situation is rosier. They raced into an 18-3 lead in Pretoria but ultimately lost 32-29 after a last-gasp Damian Willemse penalty. A painful defeat but, in front of 50,000 baying Springbok fans at one of the game's great cathedrals, pride was restored.
A week later, history was made in Bloemfontein as they became the first Welsh men's senior team to beat the world champions in their own backyard. A scrappy 13-12 result against a much-changed side but a win nonetheless.
The turnaround in just a few short months has been stark, former England boss Clive Woodward has branded it 'astonishing'. How can a team that succumbed so meekly to Italy in front of their own crowd turn it around in one of the most uncompromising places to play rugby on the planet?
Many a difficult conversation was had as recently as the start of this training camp over what transpired in March. Coaches and players alike have had to look in the mirror and be up front with each other about what went wrong. This includes one on one meetings with members of the coaching staff and a lot of self-reflection from Pivac.
The first thing to note is there has been an acceptance that Wales were not where they needed to be emotionally for that match against Italy. The levels of intensity and work-rate were not at the required level that day. Too much was made of the milestones that Alun Wyn Jones and Dan Biggar were reaching - not that it is the players' fault - and the game was almost viewed as a foregone conclusion. A harsh lesson was learned.
Fast forward to Loftus Versfeld and Wales were a completely different beast. Skipper Biggar was locked in and spoke with real edge at his press conference 48 hours before the Test and the rest of the team rallied behind him.
There are a number of factors here. First of all, this Welsh side is at its most dangerous when their backs are against the wall. They'd been stewing on that Italy defeat for months, everyone had written them off and touring has allowed them to develop a siege mentality. The group seems as close as it's ever been and the way so many of the senior players rallied around Sam Wainwright during his debut last Saturday felt significant.
Being away from home, behind enemy lines, allowed this team to nurture a real stubbornness. There has been recognition within the management team that the application, particularly in the opening Test, was exactly where it needed to be and it was significantly better than the final Six Nations match.
There has been a laser focus within the group on this trip and there has been nothing pedestrian in the way they've gone about their business. The galvanising effect of being away from home can be strong and we've seen Wales harness that.
That all deals with the mental side of things but there is also the physical.
The Welsh regions failing to make the post-season is disappointing but it allowed Pivac, and fitness guru Paul Stridgeon, to get their hands on the players earlier than usual. Mini camps started long before the team met up officially ahead of the tour and, while they use the equipment regularly, word is that they had never done so much altitude training at their base on the outskirts of Cardiff.
They also arrived in Johannesburg over a week before the first Test in Pretoria. The coaching group has had ample time to whip the time into the required shape for a tour like this and it has paid off. Wales have not run out of steam, like many had predicted, in either of the first two Tests, both of which were at altitude.
Ahead of the second Test, Springbok prop Trevor Nyakane dabbled in some mind games, suggesting Wales might struggle in the dry conditions. But their strongest spell of the game came at the end and they scored the decisive try and conversion with 90 seconds remaining.
The way Wales have defended on this tour suggests both their emotional and physical preparedness has been on the money. The same cannot be said for that Italy clash.
It bodes well because the only other time Pivac will get anywhere near the same amount of preparation time with his squad will be before the next World Cup.
Then of course there is the team selection. The Wales boss rolled the dice a little against Italy and got burned. He made six changes to the starting side for the clash, hoping to expose a few different players and still get the victory. It blew up in his face a little.
On this trip, he has made no secret of the fact that the time for experimenting is over. He has likely got the bulk of his Rugby World Cup squad pencilled in at this stage and his sole focus is giving players consistency of selection as much as he can. Allowing Nick Tompkins and George North to form a partnership, getting Tommy Reffell used to Test rugby and his new back-row partners, putting faith in someone like Ryan Elias to start regularly.
There is a lot to be said for giving players a run of games and we're seeing the benefits of that on this tour.
Much like South Africa, Wales' game plan is not complicated but it relies heavily on three very simple things - attitude, application and fitness. They have had those in spades on this tour when it was lacking in the game against Italy. Forwards coach Jonathan Humphreys practically admitted as much in his press conference ahead of the second Test and It is no more obvious than in the way they've defended.
Wales may not have set the world alight in attack on this trip but they are going toe-to-toe with the world champions in their own backyard. All involved deserve credit for the way things have turned around.
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