As a born and bred South African, Dewet Roos dreamed of playing professional rugby in South Africa.
He's achieving that dream this weekend but instead of pulling on the slick green Springboks jersey, he'll don the Brumbies jersey he has earned through relentless dedication to the craft.
Roos was training 11 times a week while working full time as a construction project manager in Sydney before being picked up by the Brumbies this year.
He hasn't let the opportunity slide.
The reserve halfback hasn't played a prominent role this season with Joe Powell taking the reigns as starting halfback but he has been solid in the limited opportunities Stephen Larkham has given him.
Just the chance to play in front of family and friends in South Africa is a dream come true for the 26-year-old.
"It was always the dream, I never thought it would happen," he said.
"It's pretty good being back in the motherland, where I come from.
"To play rugby in front of my family will be pretty special.
"It's probably my second religion."
Roos' Brumbies side are tasked with the toughest road trip in Super Rugby.
They flew halfway around the world to face the Kings on Sunday morning (AEST) and will fly another 12 hours to Argentina to face the Jaguares next week.
That takes a serious toll on players, both physically and mentally, especially when the team is trying to snap a four game losing streak.
"I think it'll just be the mindset of the boys," Roos said.
"Keeping a fresh mindset and moving on from any negatives and looking at the positives.
"It'll be a whole squad thing.
"If we turn over the squad and use guys that are fresh and not just wear people out over the next three weeks - I think keeping a fresh mindset and keeping fresh physically will do it for us."
