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London - On Thursday morning, the Proteas take to the field to kickstart their 2019 World Cup campaign in the most daunting of fixtures against hosts and tournament favourites England at The Oval.
The time for speculation, finally, will be over and all that matters will be what happens in between the boundary ropes.
Listening to English media as well as English captain Eoin Morgan speak at the venue on Wednesday, it is safe to say that the hosts are confident.
And why wouldn't they be?
England have dominated ODI cricket, particularly at home, for two years now and they have climbed to the top of the pile.
On paper, their destructive top seven easily reads better than South Africa's, and when one factors in that Dale Steyn is injured for the visitors, England look even better for the win.
"The level of expectation and favourite tags is there for a reason. Over the last two years our form has been outstanding, and that's the reason it's there," Morgan said on Wednesday.
It's hard to argue with that.
Du Plessis and the Proteas, though, are not getting overly sucked in.
Where Morgan admitted that Thursday's contest is "win at all costs", the South Africans are of the view that this one match - win or lose - will not define their tournament.
The pressure, it seems, is on England and not South Africa and that is territory that the Proteas have not often found themselves in.
"Whether we come into this tournament as favourites or as underdogs, you still have to go out on the park and play cricket and perform to win a World Cup," Du Plessis said.
"I can speak of the past when you perhaps feel like you have to do more, and you have to be a 'Superman' on the day when you're trying to win a World Cup.
"For me, that's not what we need to do. We are a good cricket team. Our results have proven that."
Favourites tags, individual stars, expectation, desperation ... it can all count for zilch at a Cricket World Cup and the Proteas know that better than anybody.
The classes of 1992 through to 2015 can all attest to that.
"We need to stay present in the fact that we are good enough to beat any team on the day and trust that," Du Plessis added.
"It's about making sure the team is nice and calm and positive, and even if we make mistakes to make sure that we completely forget about that and come back into the present and focus on what's ahead."
Win or lose, Thursday's contest will be frantic. It's just the way England are playing their cricket at the moment.
If South Africa bowl first, they will be up against a batting lineup that attacks from the outset. If they bat first, they will know that no target will be safe.
It all points towards a run-fest, and with months of build-up now at its climax, that can't come soon enough.
Play on Thursday starts at 11:30 (SA time).
@LloydBurnard is in England covering the 2019 Cricket World Cup for Sport24 ...
