All the boys are still on high after our last-gasp win against Stade Francais last Saturday.
It’s been an amazing couple of weeks really – going out there to France and winning the weekend before last was great, but we always knew we needed to back up that victory at the Stoop.
And to do it the way we did with Nick Evans’ late, late drop goal was just incredible.
With the score at 16-17 and the clock past the 80-minute mark, we knew we had no option but to hold on to the ball, keep our composure and just try to find an opening.
A couple of times I gave the ball to Nick for a drop goal attempt but they closed him down so quickly and the chance went. Then we managed to work the ball out to Ugo Monye and we thought he was going to go over only for their defence to stop him in his tracks.
I think we went through 29 phases in all, getting closer and closer before we finally got the ball back to Nick again.
It wasn’t the best kick he hit all day but we all knew it had gone over, even if we had to wait for the video referee to confirm the score.
All credit to Nick, his composure is absolutely first class. A lot of people have compared him with Dan Carter and you can see why. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s a world class player. You put him in any pressure situation and he picks the right option every time. He’s so cool and calm, a magical player.
We get on really well on and off the pitch. The great thing is that he never stops talking which is exactly what you want from a number 10 as he’ll always tell you what he needs.
I wasn’t in the best of states at the end of the game, to be honest. First of all, I had a bit of a coming together with my opposite number Noel Oelshig. He actually eye-gouged me which I obviously wasn’t too happy about. I don’t know why he felt the need to do that.
Then, at the end of the game, my calf needed some attention from the physio, although luckily it turned out only to be a bad cramp.
That just goes to show just how tough the Heineken Cup is. It’s as physical as an international game – we all feel like we’ve played two test matches over the past fortnight.
But it was all worth it. I honestly can’t explain how I felt when Nick’s drop goal sailed over on Saturday – I’ve never had a feeling like that on a rugby pitch before.
It’s back to the Guinness Premiership next weekend for the trip to Northampton, which is going to be a really tough game. They’ve got some really good players and I’m looking forward to playing at Franklin’s Gardens.
We need to pick up where we left off last week – and that’s what we’re looking forward to doing.
