Heavily-armed police escort a convoy of vans that threads into one of Rio de Janeiro's notorious favelas as a programme to introduce rugby union into impoverished areas is launched on a sun-kissed Brazilian hillside.
The first appearance of the Premiership Rugby-led 'Try Rugby' initiative in Rio follows a successful two years in Sao Paulo which has resulted in the participation of 50,000 children and adults.
New frontiers create new challenges, however, and a small battalion of police carrying assault rifles, shotguns and pistols are needed to safeguard the coaching session that is being staged in one of the world's most dangerous environments.
Around 150 children gathered at the Complexo Lins favela for an event organised in conjunction with the British Council and SESI, a public-private partnership that runs schools and training programmes in Brazil. For the vast majority, it is the first time they have encountered the sport.
The session is chaotic, noisy and colourful, but it does not take long for community coach Dominic Caton and his assistants to have kids as young as five darting through gaps.
"It's pretty raw! I came here with slight apprehension, but it's been a life changing experience," said Caton, who swapped Exeter Chiefs for Brazil two years ago.
"I've only done a couple of sessions, but they appreciate what we're doing. Kids trickle down from the mountain and join in. It's very unstructured, but you just have to go with the flow.
"The kids are raw but they have natural sportsmanship and ability. You give them the ball and right from the start they run rings around people. They learn quickly.
"Here we're teaching hard-to-reach children. We have to go to them and take the game to them.
"You hear about the violence in favelas, but it's not just about trafficking, drugs and crime. The kids here have smiles on their faces."
Another of the 13 community coaches currently working in Brazil is Juliet Short, a member of Ireland women's 2014 World Cup squad whose playing career has been interrupted by a serious neck injury. She coaches children in Sao Paulo.
"Rugby is definitely gaining a foothold here because of the sport's different attitude, its core values," said Short.
"Kids here know about soccer so the merest brush on the shoulder or tap on the ankle and they're down rolling around, shouting 'aaagh'. I have to say 'no fraca', which means no weakness. They respond by saying OK, shrug it off and carry on.
"For the older children the excitement of thinking, 'yeah I've got to get up', I try to use that as a life lesson for them - if you get knocked down, you have to get back up. They're beginning to relate to that."
Not for the first time a sense of missionary zeal grounded on the sport's core values of 'teamwork, respect, enjoyment, sportsmanship and discipline' permeates through the words of one of the community coaches based in Brazil.
"I feel really blessed I can share my passion for the sport - share what it means for me," Short said.
"Rugby has saved me, helped me with respect and solidarity, I really believe in the values. For me to share my love is a once in a lifetime opportunity."
At the elite end of Brazilian rugby sits Felipe Claro, a member of the men's sevens squad for Rio 2016 and one of 20 players on a professional contract.
Brazil qualify as hosts and while success on the sevens circuit has been limited, it is hoped the general trend of progress will climax with victory in one or two pool matches when play commences on August 9 next year.
Claro spent four seasons in the third tier of English rugby at Heaton Moor from 2006-10 and at 29-years-old is among the more experienced players in a squad coached by Argentinian Andres Romagnoli.
"Playing in England brought me a lot of opportunities because now I have a rugby brand in Brazil, so I live rugby on and off the pitch," said Claro, who plays on the wing at sevens.
"I started playing when I was 11. I was playing with a kite with a friend and went to this place just to fly a kite - it turned out to be a rugby club - when a coach walked up to us, threw us a ball and told us to start running.
"I'd never heard of rugby, but since that day I haven't stopped playing. I wasn't doing very well in school and my mum said if I didn't improve, she'd stop me playing rugby. Within one month I was top of the class.
"We're very close to winning games on the sevens circuit, we're just lacking the game time that we're beginning to get now.
"The women are going for a medal. For the men, winning a game or two would be a great thing to happen. It would be extremely hard for us to win more than one or two games.
"Maybe one of the teams we'll face won't have slept well or will be having a bad day. Anything is possible."
Source: PA-WIRE
