Durban – Heyneke Meyer invoked the spirit of Nelson Mandela and several of his senior players spoke of how pressure can turn coal into diamonds in the aftermath of the Springbok Rugby World Cup squad being announced.
And it all came with sincerity. Nothing gets the senses tingling quite as tantalisingly as rugby’s showpiece in this country.
And now, with all the speculation done, the selections explained and the emotions no longer so raw, the plea from the Bok camp is simple: Back us, please.
“We just want to make this country proud,” a visibly relieved Meyer said.
“It’s been an emotional week, for the players who missed out and the players who made it, but it is a lot more relaxed now, because we know who the 31 are. They know where they stand.”
That Protea fire their cricketing counterparts speak of burns just as deeply within the Bok camp.
In fact, the flame may reach even further given the heated debates over players and permutations that have raged all winter, on social platforms, in public and behind closed doors.
Few things fire passion more than the Bok jersey. Not in sport, anyway.
Jean de Villiers, confirmed as captain for the World Cup, said he understood where the questions and the critics and naysayers come from.
“If people stopped questioning, then I would be worried. I wouldn’t want to play anymore because that would mean people don’t care anymore.”
But the collective care for this team is immense and it will only escalate over the next few weeks as the Springboks look to their first hill, Japan, on their way to their World Cup Everest.
De Villiers, who has had to scale more mountains than most, would love nothing more than to reach the summit on the evening of October 31.
As they sat deep into the night, counting the days before the show begins, the chosen few couldn’t help but smile relentlessly.
It has been a tumultuous month, on and off the field.
As they sat quietly in clusters with a drink, on the right side of the chopping board, there was little said but much felt.
Always there are new players glowing with pride. That would be Rudy Paige and Jesse Kriel.
Both spoke of the sheer joy of playing with their heroes and the acceleration of their careers to this lofty stage.
Alongside the young pups were the elder statesmen who have seen it all before. That would be the soft-spoken Fourie du Preez and the towering Victor Matfield, who both gave very little away even as they spoke passionately about this final chapter of their storied journeys in the Bok jersey.
Having not played much, they will let their rugby do the talking in a fortnight.
So too will Schalk Burger, the modern miracle man who came from death’s door to complete a transformation from human bulldozer to subtle play-maker. A leopard can truly change its spots.
“It’s a long way from 2003 when I was a youngster trying to win every collision. I’ve come a long way since then and hopefully improved as a rugby player in that time,” said Burger.
And then, of course, there are the powder kegs, those precious few who lift those around them with one big hit, or a raging run, or sometimes just a look that says everything and nothing. That would be Messrs Duane Vermeulen, Eben Etzebeth and Bismarck du Plessis.
Every one of the 31 names that Meyer announced had a look of pride, but one in particular had that look.
If ever a player encapsulated the current mood of the Springbok side, it is No8 and resident caveman Vermeulen.
His absence coincided with a dip in form and the national concern over his neck injury spoke volumes of his critical importance to the overall ambitions of the class of 2015.
No one player is bigger than the team but Vermeulen’s was a massive hole for the side to fill.
The Stormers captain has grown immeasurably in stature but when he took his seat around a scrum of journalists, the back-row menace became Duane the little boy, who had just been told that Christmas was coming early.
Lest we forget, it is his first World Cup, despite his elevation to the same level as Kieran Read and Richie McCaw in the modern pantheon of extraordinary back-rowers.
Now, on the brink of his greatest stage, the Springboks’ fulcrum spoke from the heart.
“I’m just so hungry! So hungry to get back on the field! I want to tackle something, I want to carry the ball! Jeez, I’m so hungry.”
If he could have, he would have tackled a waiter or more likely a reporter into the glistening pool just to get a feel of contact again. It’s been a while.
But it’s not long now for Vermeulen, and for all of Meyer’s medical miracles, his ever-greens, his green horns and his come-back kids.
They are the lucky ones, and they intend to take this chance, be it a first one for some or a final fling at glory for others, and do it justice.
One must feel slightly concerned for Japan because there is a torrent of pent-up testosterone waiting to explode on them come Saturday, September 19 (kick-off 5.45pm SA time).