Deep breathing, yoga sessions and meditation are helping the ACT Brumbies bury bad performances and maintain a fearless approach to rugby as they chase Melbourne redemption on Friday night.
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Brumbies coach Dan McKellar has put a major emphasis on mental wellbeing this season, adding psychologist Jeff Bond to the staff and organising weekly yoga sessions for the players.
It's part of the Brumbies' attitude readjustment, with players told to embrace a bold attacking strategy where mistakes are encouraged rather than condemned.
It's also helping the squad bury frustrations of previous results, including a round-one failure to fire against the Melbourne Rebels, to ensure they move forward rather than dwelling on the past.
Lock Rory Arnold says the players have thrown themselves into the new activities and is confident they can deliver results even after an inconsistent start to the season.
"We're doing yoga on Mondays. Flexibility is a big thing and having a 30-40 minute yoga session ... it's good for you," Arnold said.
"A bit of meditation, breathing and centering yourself, I think it's good. We've been doing it for three or four weeks now, I'm probably still one of the worst in the group at it but it's a good path to go down.
"It's both flexibility but also having 40 minutes of the day to zone in on yourself. I think we should keep doing it. The mental side of the game is huge and checking in with yourself when you can ... it's a massive part.
"Not just footy, but life as well. Not many sports have probably tapped into as much as they should, but I think it's moving forward and you'll see teams buy into that stuff as well."
The Brumbies say they will hold their nerve and continue their attacking style against the Rebels, albeit with a smarter approach to how the Rebels will play.
The Wellington Hurricanes dared the Brumbies to run the ball from their own try line last weekend, happy to kick into the corners and then pounce on mistakes.
The Rebels used similar tactics at the start of the season and the Brumbies are expecting more of the same, led by halves duo Will Genia and Quade Cooper.
"It's always a good game against the Rebels and they've had the wood over us in Super Rugby over the last few games," Arnold said.
"The Australian games are massive, especially if we want to top the pool later in the season.
"[The Rebels] have a world-class halves combination, they put the ball in behind us and in the last two or three weeks we've struggled exiting our half. They're the things we've been working on and we'll have to do well on Friday night."
The Brumbies have lost their past three games against the Rebels, including a frustrating and fumbling round-one performance at Canberra Stadium three weeks ago.
It's unusual to be playing against a team twice in less than a month, but Arnold said it gives the Brumbies a chance to make amends.
"We had the Rebels in a trial as well. It's a big game for us and we're looking forward to hopefully getting the result we need," Arnold said.
McKellar will announce his team on Wednesday and is expected to tinker with combinations in the hope of reversing the result against the Rebels to kickstart a run of Australian derbies.
SUPER RUGBY ROUND FOUR
Friday: Melbourne Rebels v ACT Brumbies at AAMI Park, 7.45pm. TV time: Live on Fox Sports.
