WE'RE ALL trying to stay as upbeat as we can but we're naturally pretty down about the Six Nations defeat in France.
Clive called us all in to a team meeting on Sunday morning and tried to pick everyone up. The point he made was that if you had told us at the start of the season we could win the Rugby World Cup but lose a couple of Six Nations games we would have ripped your hand off.
That's true but it isn't easy being beaten and I'm finding it a horrible experience. I can take nothing away from France - they are worthy Grand Slam winners and they were worthy winners on Saturday night, too.
It was tough seeing the French boys parading the trophy, big smiles every-where, arms round each other and saluting their fans - I guess I know how Australia would have been feeling last November.
You wonder how many of the guys will still be involved in the summer. You'd have to say that everyone's place is under threat - my own included - as we look forward to the tour Down Under in June.
That's going to be a monstrous two or three weeks: back-to-back Tests against the All Blacks and then the Wallabies, with those Aussie players desperate to avenge the World Cup final defeat.
We're learning that once you are world champions everyone else wants to knock you down. In the immediate future, though, it's a case of resting our bruised bodies for 24 hours before throwing ourselves back into the hurlyburly of club rugby. No rest for the wicked, it seems.
