Leicester Tigers' trip to face Exeter at Sandy Park last season proved to a massive turning point.
The 19-11 defeat back in February came after a poor and mistake-ridden showing.
It left Tigers needing to win all of their remaining eight games to earn a home semi-final.
Some brutal home truths followed in the post-game review – and they duly won all eight of their following league matches. Job done.
Lock forward Graham Kitchener, who starts from the bench today, believes Tigers have already experienced their turning point this season.
He insists they will make their longest trip of the domestic season with confidence after thumping Sale Sharks in their last game three weeks ago.
"We had those tough games before we beat Sale, at home to Saracens and away at Harlequins," said the 23-year-old.
"To lose both of them was a turning point in our season, especially the Saracens game, where we were excellent in the first half but poor after the break and they got a bonus point.
"That was unacceptable and we talked long and hard about that in the week before the Sale game.
"The performance we then put in against Sale showed everyone that we had turned the corner.
"I would rather we had kept playing after that. You are always grateful for a rest playing rugby but, after that win against Sale, I felt we had lots of things in the right place.
With the injured Louis Deacon out for the rest, Kitchener and Ed Slater are the players looking for that vacant slot in the line-out next to Geoff Parling.
For today's game, director of rugby Richard Cockerill has given Slater the nod. But Kitchener, who many consider to be a likely contender for England's summer tour of Argentina, will be raring to go should he enter the fray at Sandy Park.
"It's a big blow to lose Louis," he said. "He is a leader in our pack and an experienced guy.
"To lose him for the rest of the season is tough but we have players who can step up.
"I feel good after two weeks with no game and am fresh and ready to go if needed."
