Western Force captain Ian Prior admits it has been surreal watching Dave Wessels in Melbourne Rebels colours but he wishes nothing but success for his former coach.
Wessels became a favourite among Force players and fans last year but jumped ship to the Rebels once the Perth-based franchise was axed.
The 35-year-old has enjoyed some early success at his new club, guiding them to seven wins from 13 games to lift them to second in the Australian conference.
Some Force fans still hold a grudge against the Rebels, who survived Rugby Australia's axe in what billionaire mining magnate Andrew Forrest later dubbed a ludicrous and unfair process.
Wessels will return to his old stomping ground this week ahead of the Rebels' clash with the Force at nib Stadium on Saturday night.
The match is the third fixture of World Series Rugby, which was launched earlier this year by Forrest.
The Rebels squad boasts a glut of former Force players, including stars Adam Coleman, Dane Haylett-Petty, Billy Meakes and Jermaine Ainsley.
Prior was at the Brumbies when Wessels was an assistant there and he has been happy to see his former coach flourish at the Rebels.
"But the first few games, it was a bit surreal to watch him running out in different colours and coaching that different jersey," Prior said.
"As an assistant coach he was certainly pretty chilled and very detail-oriented.
"And then when he went to the head coaching role at the Force he found this intensity and really brought that to the forefront, while still keeping his smarts and that point of difference from looking at the game from an outside perspective and seeing what you could do differently.
"He's done really well, both when he was here last year and now at the Rebels. He's got a promising head coaching career ahead of him."
Coleman and Haylett-Petty will miss Saturday's clash because of Wallabies' duties but the Rebels squad will still boast plenty of Force players.
Prior dismissed any talk of it being a grudge match against ex-Force players who jumped ship to the Rebels.
"We all respected everyone's decisions and there were no grudges held," Prior said.
"People have kids to feed and roofs to put over their kids' heads.
"After the year we had last year, there's a lot of special bonds and special memories that will continue for life-long friendships."
The Force are unbeaten following wins over the Fiji Warriors (24-14) and a Tongan representative side (47-17), but the Rebels will be their biggest test to date.
