They say familiarity breeds contempt, but not so in this case as it will be last time we will get to see former Saint, now Bristolian, and all round good guy, Andy Blowers play at the Gardens.

AB returns to New Zealand at season end and it will be one – sorry, five – last chances to say goodbye.

He might be playing for the opposition but I am sure he will get as big a reception as if he were still one of our own.

Don't all cheer at once, but there will be no column next week. Like a few hundred other hardy souls I will be heading down to Provence to watch Saints take on Toulon's assorted All-Stars in the first group game of the European Challenge Cup.

The Stade Mayol can apparently be a bit of a cauldron at times and I'm quite looking forward to it.

While we might sing songs of saints marching in, the Toulonnais sing tales of the ruthless Pilou warriors coming down from the mountains ready to wreck havoc.

It will be anything but quiet. If I survive all that, I'm off to Montpellier and Toulouse following our game in Toulon – I'll report back on that in two weeks.