Guards of honour are nothing new to rugby’s mighty All Blacks, but the one they received at the 'Olympic Village' sports centre in the Mangueira favela community in Rio on Monday (15 July) came with a twist: capoeira.

Entering the gymnasium to the deep echoes of the atabaque drum and strums of the berimbau (a one-string musical bow), it was not long before the women's rugby sevens silver medallists found themselves being pulled into the circle of capoeiristas.

The Olympians had never looked so uncoordinated as they tried to copy the movements of the children, ducking under swinging legs, cowering with arms over their heads.

Ruby Tui hugs one of the capoeiristas (Photo: Rio 2016/Gabriel Nascimento)

Team New Zealand formed a partnership with Mangueira in March and have since sent two teams, boxing and football, to meet children involved in the project. Now it was the turn of rugby. 

Rugby meets capoeira as New Zealand Olympic team begins partnership with Rio favela

Jonathan Coleman, the country’s minister of sport, welcomed everyone with a reminder of the initiative’s aim to form a cultural exchange and inspire the children of the community. "We already know a lot about you. Like the fact that you are carnival champions, which means you have the same values of excellence as us," he said, referring to the prestigious Mangueira samba school's victory at carnival earlier this year.

Jonathan Coleman and Barbara Machado with some of the donated tickets (Photo: Rio 2016/Gabriel Nascimento)

Barbara Machado, the project coordinator, said the initiative all began with the Haka. “They [New Zealand] were looking for a project, so we were invited to an exhibition about Maori culture at the Jardim Botânico. The children saw the Haka and they absolutely loved it. It was beautiful, the whole exhibition was beautiful."

All Blacks do the Haka on Copacabana beach

Machado was delighted by the donation of 1,000 tickets to be distributed throughout the community. "That was the huge surprise," she said. "They only told me last night, and I was left speechless by the gesture."

Portia Woodman prepares to pounce after the ball goes loose (Photo: Rio 2016/Gabriel Nascimento)

After capoeira and photos, it was on to more familiar terrain outside for some rugby passing drills that quickly turned into full-contact session amongst the kids. The team brought along 100 rugby balls to give to the community and so far the project has delivered a regular stream of uniforms and equipment.

Between dodging a stumbling child and hurling the ball to a team-mate, Portia Woodman, New Zealand’s top scorer at Rio 2016, said: “They remind me so much of the kids back home, they just love to be outside and running around. Things like this are so important because we've lost ourselves in technology these days.”

Woodman said Brazilian spirit is what has impressed her most in Rio, “They love to just be outside and throw a party. It’s great, we can learn from them and they can learn from us.”

In Rio de Janeiro, life's a beach and the beach is for sport

Theresa Fitzpatrick takes a silver selfie with a young fan (Photo: Rio 2016/Gabriel Nascimento)

Kelly Brazier, who has been in the sevens squad since its formal inception in 2012, said, “It’s cool to give back to the community and see the smiles on their faces over some rugby balls. The kids here don’t take it for granted like we do back home.”

One of those kids not taking this opportunity for granted was Victor Hugo. 

“Your pleasure, your pleasure,” the 16-year-old aspiring sprinter said to forward Ruby Tui as she thanked the kids for the game. "Ah, it's my pleasure," he remembered after the player had left. “They should come back because I need to practise my English,” he tells his sister Maria Luiza.

Victor Hugo, 16, and sister Maria Luiza, 14 (Photo: Rio 2016/Gabriel Nascimento)

The first thing Victor has to say of the visit is about the weight of an Olympic silver medal. “I had one around my neck – who knew it was so heavy!” he said. 

He recognised that it is not every day that you get to play sport with Olympians. “It’s crazy, I saw them on TV and now they’re in front of my eyes and I’m playing with them,” he said. “It’s something that has inspired me to pursue my dreams of becoming a sprinter."