Life gets back to normal after an amazing two months

October 26, 2007 - After the most intense and exciting two months of my life, everything is back to normal again. I’m now back in my house in Leicester knowing I no longer have the luxury of having a maid to pick my clothes up after me, or having all my washing and cooking done for me.

Having said that, it is nice to be back in my own bed and surroundings again. I am bitterly disappointed that we couldn’t finish off the job on Saturday and bring the World Cup home with us but it has been an amazing experience to be involved in the tournament.

When I was a nine-year-old in Occold watching the 1991 World Cup, I could only dream what it was like to play in the final - Dan Hipkiss

When I was a nine-year-old in Occold watching the 1991 World Cup, I could only dream what it was like to play in the final. The atmosphere and hype around the match was even bigger and better than I expected and although I will obviously look back on the game as a disappointment, because we lost, it was still a great experience.

We gave it our all in the final and left everything on the pitch. If the decision over Mark Cueto’s ‘try’ had been different it could have changed the match. It was a very close decision, a 50/50 one, that could have gone either way.

Of course we accept the decision and we will never know how the game would have turned out if it had been given. It was hard seeing the Springboks celebrate after the match and picking up the Webb Ellis trophy. You stand there thinking about your own performance and imagining what it would be like if you had won it yourself .

Not much was said in the dressing room afterwards and we went out as a team for a drink. We needed to get everything out of our systems, as we had been solely focused on the World Cup since late June.

The team have enjoyed some good times together and I’ve made new friends in people like Joe Worsley, Simon Shaw, Nick Abendanon and Olly Barkley. The high points of the tournament for me was hearing the final whistle against France and knowing we had made it to the World Cup final and then in the final singing the national anthem and soaking up the atmosphere of 80,000 people at the Stade de France.

The low point was after the 36-0 defeat to South Africa having to go back on the pitch, and having not been involved in the 22, to do a fitness session and getting stick from the supporters who were understandably disappointed with our performance.

It was great that so many people took the time to post me good luck messages on the Diss Express website and I read them all before Saturday’s final. I’m looking forward to coming ‘home’ again soon, back to Diss Rugby Club to do some coaching.