"Long term" has been the Shimlas' buzz-phrase for the past three years and that focus finally bore fruit as the men from Bloemfontein broke a near-decade long title drought with a rousing victory over Ikeys in Monday night's Varsity Cup final.
Indeed, head coach Andre Tredoux believes his troops' glorious coronation might not have happened if they didn't have the experience of 2022 and 2023's painful semi-final exits under their belt.
"Naturally, we're overjoyed with the result. It was a great game. But I'm wary of focusing just on the final," he told News24 on Tuesday.