Next year for the second time, sevens will be a medal sport at the Olympics, this time hosted by Tokyo, and the World Rugby Sevens Series offers automatic qualification for the top four teams at the end o the season.

With just four tournaments left, things are getting super serious and that has amped up the pressure leading in to the weekend. Series leaders the USA (113 points), New Zealand (106 points), Fiji (101) and South Africa (89) are looking to take qualifying for Tokyo into their own hands, through results that kick them clear of the rest of a field.

“I’ve noticed an increase in intensity across the board,” Baber said, who is in charge of the reigning Olympic champions.

“There’s the three teams at the top going for it and now South African coming up behind us. But you see the likes of Spain and Chile getting results as well. Obviously there’s an increase in funding across programmes as countries gear themselves up for the Olympics. If you can do that by a short cut, by getting in that top four, then that’s the best way to go.”

It all means we’re in for a heightened sense of purpose from players this weekend, across all games across all competitions

“It’s there for everybody,” Baber said. “You have to look at your preparation and the plans you are putting in place to qualify for the Olympics. Making the top four gets you straight in and outside of that you’d be looking at a whole other process to get to the Olympic Village. There’s much more at stake in the game of sevens now in every season.”

Mike Friday was there on the dais on Wednesday – alongside Baber, New Zealand’s Clark Laidlaw and Russian coach Waisale Serevi.

The Englishman was drawn into the conversation about added pressure and reported with relish that his USA players were among those this season to be rising to the challenge, as shown by their lofty position in the standings.

“It about experience,” Friday said. “You need experience. It’s natural for the New Zealanders, it’s natural for the Fijians. Our boys have had to learn that because they’ve come into the game later.

“This year you have seen more of a breakthrough. Our strength and depth are deeper. Some of those big moments, which we historically haven’t had the experience to take advantage of, we’re winning. The margins are so fine between winning and losing.

“Confidence is a big thing in young men. It’s something you want to embrace but at the same time you want to keep a lid on it because overconfidence can be a dangerous thing for a young man. What you’ve done before means nothing. There’s so much at stake ahead this weekend and beyond but we’re in unknown territory. The challenge for us it to stay true to ourselves and worry about what’s in front of you and not what could be further down the track.”