KEY POINTS:
When Hawkes Bay's band of plucky underdogs trot out on to AMI Stadium tonight to take on Canterbury in the second national championship semifinal, each and every one of them will know exactly what is expected.
They will have had their individual roles explained to them at length. They will know how that role fits into the collective, why it is so important - and why it will help them to win.
There's no guarantee they will win, of course. Far from it. But the players will believe victory is in their grasp.
The attention to detail, the clarity of the instructions they will have received and the self-belief instilled in the Magpies' players are the hallmarks of their coach, Peter Russell.
"I've played for a lot of different coaches over the years and I've never come across a guy who puts so much time into planning," says Mike Robinson, Russell's captain at Wairarapa Bush when the tiny union won the first Meads Cup in 2006.
"He has obviously got a massive knowledge and understanding of the game but the work he puts in behind the scenes is amazing.
"He certainly made sure that every player had an understanding of exactly what was required of them individually and as a team to be successful. He would spend hours and hours making sure individuals knew their roles.
"Even though we didn't have the flash equipment to do lots of research and analysis, players knew what was expected of them because of the prep work that he'd do for them."
Russell has had success at every level - and has made a stop at every level - from an under-19 club coach upwards. He won multiple titles with Wellington club Marist St Pats before emulating that success at Heartland level with his home union.
In his first season with Hawkes Bay, he guided them to the national championship semifinals, a feat he has repeated this year.
That success has not stopped him twice being passed over for the assistant's role at the Hurricanes but on Thursday he was interviewed for the Highlanders' No 2 job, a role he is widely tipped to land.
His star is definitely on the rise and Russell has so far been philosophical about missing out on a promotion to Super Rugby.
"At the end of the day it's their choice what they do and who they pick," he says of the Hurricanes' decision to reject him in favour of Alama Iremia and Jono Phillips.
"The jobs will be there and one of them will pop up for me. If I don't get one this year or next year I'll just keep building Hawkes Bay to where it should be.
"You can only do as much as you do, keep working hard and maybe one day you do get noticed and rewarded."
Russell's holistic approach to coaching is about more than just attention to detail. He talks about the importance of inclusiveness, of every player having an equal voice and about providing the tools to make them better people as well as players.
It almost sounds a little new-age. At a practical level, however, it seems to work a charm. Robinson came out of retirement just for the chance to play under Russell.
"He put a whole new perspective on a season of rugby. He gave me the tools as a captain to just play my own game.
"And he is such a composed person. For the three years I played for him at the Bush I never heard him raise his voice. He is just so cool, calm and collected all of the time. Rather than yelling at you when things aren't going right, he'd ask you a real simple question about what you thought you could do to make it better. Rather than give you the answer, he'd actually make you think about it."
He may have a somewhat school-masterly look about him, but Russell is an electrician by trade. After struggling to find work in the Wairarapa he moved to Wellington, where he worked at Haywards Hill power transfer station and clocked up over 100 senior club appearances as a midfield back for Avalon and Upper Hutt.
With his playing career having topped out at club level, he turned his attention to coaching, working his way steadily up the ranks.
"As a coach you've got to be well grounded and that is the path where I have come from - under-19s, 20s, club and Wairarapa Bush. You are learning all the time and you haven't got budgets to hire four or five coaches. So you do it all yourself and that is how you learn and grow."
Learning is a big part of the Russell philosophy. He is an avid internet user and spends plenty of time casting around looking for fresh ideas.
"I burn the midnight oil. A lot of people say you switch off when you get home but the laptop is always out, looking at games or reading articles off the internet - just to get an edge, that is all you are looking for as a coach."
Although he likes to cherry-pick ideas, Russell insists he is his own man and isn't out to "clone myself on anyone".
He has, however, made a deep impression on others such as Robinson, who has embarked on his own coaching career with Upper Hutt and Wairarapa Bush. Russell's ultimate aim is to coach the All Blacks and Robinson, for one, believes he will achieve that goal.
"I said to Peter if I could be half the coach he is in twice the time it took him to get there, I'd be happy.
"I would love to see him get there. People are starting to realise who Pete Russell is and that it wasn't just a fluke what he did with Wairarapa. I believe he has got the pedigree and he has certainly got the self-motivation and drive to go as high as he can. I just hope the New Zealand union sees that."
Back to the Canterbury match. Russell doesn't seem the type to bridle at any line of questioning. When it is pointed out Canterbury will be huge favourites, he says: "Canterbury are on a roll but we are on a roll as well - you can't doubt what we can achieve."
