A lightning quick ACT Brumbies winger and the words of Bob Hawke have put the Australian men's sevens team on the path to breakthrough for what could be Australia's first medal of the Paris Olympic Games.
Corey Toole has been lighting up the Stade de France in his return to the sevens format after establishing himself as one of the quickest players in Super Rugby over the past two seasons.
The speedy winger wouldn't look out of place in the 100m sprint in the second week of competition. But with the sevens one of the first events to start, he has already made his mark on the rugby field.
Australia will play Fiji in the quarter-final on Saturday night. Win and they advance to the gold medal match, lose and they shift into the bronze medal playoff.
The team is using a line from former prime minister Hawke as extra inspiration 41 years after his words inspired Australia to a famous America's Cup victory.
It was Hawke who Australia's men's sevens coach John Manenti turned to before the team left their Paris Olympic village to play the United States in a quarter-final. They won 18-0.
In 1983 Hawke told Australia II skipper John Bertrand to "destroy the bastards" before they did just that to end a 132-year US stranglehold on the cup.
Bertrand was a guest in camp with Manenti's side earlier this year and a quarter-final match-up with the US played to script.
"One of the slides I showed the boys before we left was a quote from Bob Hawke, which was 'go and smash the bastards', that he'd said to the crew," Manenti said after they'd booked a Saturday semi-final with two-time defending champions Fiji.
"It was just a reminder that Australia-America has some history and again, like yesterday, we felt an obligation to get the Australian Olympic campaign off to a good start."
Victory snapped a run of quarter-final exits for Australia's improved men in the sport's previous two Games appearances.
Australia led 10-0 at half-time, in control and scoring through James Turner and Toole, before Maurice Longbottom slotted a penalty goal and picked up a loose ball to cross over himself and complete the rout.
Australia had earlier beaten this year's world series standouts Argentina 22-14, having registered victories against Samoa and Kenya on Wednesday's opening day.
The quarter-final win was built on stout defence rather than silky offence, Sydney Roosters-bound speedster Mark Nawaqanitawase stuck on the bench as the clock ran out after a brilliant cameo against Argentina.
"Winning ugly's OK," Manenti said.
"It wasn't our finest performance but we've played better and lost games and that was a pretty important one to win."
Toole's family in Wagga has endured some sleepless nights already and they're bracing for a tense weekend. Dad Scotty hasn't missed a minute of the action.
"I've had very little sleep in the last two nights, sleeping on the couch, but I wouldn't miss it for the world," he said.
"I would have loved to have been over there but just couldn't get there and that's all it boils down to."
Two-time defending champions Fiji stand in Australia's way of winning through to the gold medal game at 3.45am on Sunday morning (AEST).
They will clash at midnight.
Scotty felt Australia was building in the right direction as it looked to become the first country to beat Fiji at an Olympics.
"They've had a slow start but they are building to something hopefully great," he said.
"The team seemed to be gelling a lot better in the third game and they are moving up in defence pretty quickly, and that's what they will have to do against Fiji on Saturday night."
After making a big impact on the sevens stage, including helping Australia to a World Series victory and a fourth in the Commonwealth Games, Toole has spent the last two seasons in Super Rugby with the Brumbies.
Teams will have a day off before Saturday morning's (AEST) opening ceremony, before medals are decided at Stade de France on Sunday (AEST).
