A great oak tree was about to fall in the rugby forest, the All Blacks were done. And then they weren't

Watching New Zealand and South Africa there was that very rare feeling - it lasted only a few minutes, like viewing the aurora borealis, where you are mouthing quietly to yourself: this is unbelievable, writes Ronan O’Gara.

So this is what recharging the batteries actually means. It’s a first September off in 23 years. Probably longer. I’ve become a kept man, the stay-at-home dad who does the school run in the mornings, sit down for a coffee on the way back and flick through the phone to scan what’s happening outside the bubble. So, there is a world out there.

From the Prix de l’Arc at Longchamp last Sunday through to the twins’ birthday yesterday, I didn’t see a rugby ball. But that all changes tomorrow with the start of the Heineken Champions Cup. Sorry Jess, I’m just off to the Rec to watch Bath and Toulouse.