As the Springbok Sevens take a water break from their training session, on the outskirts of the Deodoro Stadium, Juan de Jongh instinctively starts spraying half his team with water, sending hulking men scurrying away.
Moments later, that same group is in a tight huddle, taking deep breaths, visualising the final straight of what has been a compelling journey to the 2016 Olympic Games.
De Jongh, even with all his experiences around the world in XV man rugby freely admits that this month may well be the greatest of a career that has been stymied by injury, size stereotype and timing.
“I’m 28 years old, brother. At my age, I don’t know if I will ever get the chance to be here again,” he admits, ambition glistening in his eyes.
“When the door opened for me last October, I told myself that I would do everything in my power to be here. This is the Olympics, man. It’s the greatest stage of all.”
Sincerity comes in super-sized bites from De Jongh. He may dance rings around would-be defenders, but his words are as forthright as his tackling.
“You know, this journey that we’ve been on, it’s been amazing. The transition back to Sevens wasn’t easy for me at first, but I’ve had a great team of brothers around me,” he says.
“I took a break of eight years, because I had started my career off in Sevens. Eight years is a long time, but the rest of the team has been really helpful.”
South Africa has some of the greatest Sevens players in history, men who were made to bust a game open with speed, wit or vision. It’s a natural fit for De Jongh, whose footballing skills have slotted right in with the explosive skill set of Messrs Speckman, Kok, Afrika, Brown and, of course, Kolbe.
During their training session, you can see the creativity at work; passes floated into space to catch the burst of Cecil Afrika on the outside, or a reverse pass to Tim Agaba to power in on the angle.
“There’s a lot of enjoyment, for sure. I’m playing with guys on the same wavelength, and that is massive.”
While their rivals have thumped their chests and publicly targeted medals, Team South Africa has kept their counsel, preferring to stay below the radar. Mind you, it’s not for a lack of self-belief.
“We don’t want to be a team that has a bigger bark than a bite. We know what we are capable of, and we know what we want to do here,” De Jongh says.
“This final squad that’s here is a very special group, but this is not just about us. It’s about the guys who didn’t make it, way back to when we were still a squad of about 30.
“They are a part of us, too. If we go all the way, that glory is theirs as well. That’s why we feel privileged to be here. We know how many got left behind.”
Before he heads off for the dreaded ice-bath, De Jongh has a parting shot, one which emphasises every ounce of ambition bristling through his veins.
“These are the stories we will share in 20 years time, long after we stop playing. We will look back on this month, and we want a great story to tell.” - The Star