How somebody responds to disappointment will often tell you more about them than when they enjoy success.
There wasn't outcry at Taine Basham's omission from the Wales squad on Tuesday, but there was mild surprise.
Most had him vying with Cardiff Blues flanker Shane Lewis-Hughes for a final spot in Wayne PIvac's back row squadron. As it transpired, neither got in with the Wales boss opting for six, not seven, loose forwards.
It will have been a bitter pill to swallow for the all-action 20-year-old and it capped a frustrating couple of weeks.
He'd been denied opportunities to impress the Wales coaching staff after being named on the bench by Dean Ryan for the Dragons' games against Bristol and Leinster.
It's difficult to push your case when you're getting splinters on sidelines.
But injury to Aaron Wainwright meant he was in from the start for the region's unconvincing victory over Zebre on Friday night.
The Dragons secured a bonus point but the performance was lacklustre, with boss Ryan branding it 'unacceptable'.
Though Basham was one of a handful who emerged with credit.
His team-mates Elliot Dee, Sam Davies and Ashton Hewitt were in similar boats having all been overlooked by the Welsh management.
But, with Pivac in the stands at Rodney Parade, nobody did more than Basham to send the right kind of message.
It was not a vintage night for the other three. Dee was not at his best and inexplicably tried a grubber kick that ultimately resulted in Zebre's first score.
Hewitt struggled to get involved in the game, though his infrequent interventions were solid, and Davies missed four kicks at goal.
Basham, though, was accurate and determined from the outset. He was into everything.
He won a crucial penalty at a breakdown in the 18th minute, getting his side out of jail after Jordan Williams failed to secure a high ball.
And before the first half was up, he was winning another penalty, surviving two cleanouts to stay clamped on the ball. It gave his side the field position that should have seen them wrap up a bonus point before half time.
MIdway through the second half, he forced another turnover, powerfully holding his man up in the tackle and forcing the knock on.
They were standout defensive interventions that epitomised his typically abrasive performance.
He also topped the tackle stats with 17.
Having barely left his teens, missing out on a call-up at this stage is far from a crisis.
Former Wales captain turn breakdown coach Sam Warburton is known to be a fan of Basham and it appears to be only a matter of time before he is a regular in the national environment.
He is not yet the finished product and will have learned a lot from his call-ups to the squad last year and for the Six Nations a few months ago.
And Pivac will have been delighted with how Basham responded to the bad news.
It will have been exactly what the Kiwi was hoping for and it tells you that Talywain RFC product is made of the right stuff.
A long international career looks to be written in the stars for Basham. He just needs to bide his time a little longer.
