It has certainly all changed in the last year. Hallowe'en, of all things, was proof of that. While giving out "trick or treats" last Tuesday, I was writing autographs. It was unbelievable, and it seemed like the whole estate came to the door. All the little kids knocked on the door: "Hi, trick or treat, and can we have your autograph." It was quite a weird night.

I got a couple last year, but whereas most people called to the house then when I opened the door one guy would just say to the other "I told you he lived here. You didn't believe me but I told you he lived here." So this Hallowe'en was kinda weird, but also cool. Otherwise it's been business as usual. I live a very boring life.

It's just good to be back playing again after missing out on the summer tour with Ireland. First I tore my hamstring in the Barbarians match the day before the squad left for Argentina, and then in August the diagnosis was that I had a back problem.

At the time I was bitterly disappointed to miss out on the tour but maybe in hindsight it was the best thing that could have happened, because it gave me more time to recover. Maybe it could have plagued me if I'd gone on tour, I would have half gotten through games and I mightn't even be back playing again now.

There was no real rest time though. Sure, I got a week off because I couldn't really do anything but then I was straight back into training trying to get it "rehabed" before I went on holidays. I went to San Diego for just under three weeks. Fantastic and great craic. I met up with a good bunch of boys, Denis Hickie, Malcolm O'Kelly, Shane Horgan and Bob Casey. Went to Vegas, the Grand Canyon, the whole shebang.

One of the benefits, as such, of the injury was that I'd got my Toyota Celica the week before the Barbarians game and I hadn't really had a chance to drive it because of training and that. So in a way that was nice, as I didn't have to wait six weeks before I could drive it - I was driving it all over the place. It's black. It's a savage car. It gets an awful lot of looks. People who have no idea who you are, are clearly thinking "look at that little yuppie with his rich daddy". No actually, Toyota are just very good to me. We came back from San Diego on July 7th and were back training on July 10th. That wasn't nice, back training after just three weeks off. I really think you need a good month off. It would have been nice to have had a bit of time at home, play a bit of golf. I just didn't get a chance to play at all this summer.

I was straight into more rehab work, although it was getting more frustrating because I didn't know about the back, and it was giving me trouble. I was with the Leinster squad in Anglesea Road but I was training on my own. On August 9th, we went to Wales but my back was really sore. I was despairing. Then I had to come home early after five or six days with tonsilitis. That was horrid, probably the worst I've ever felt, and being in Swansea, in the university, pissing out of the heavens, nothing to do, and being sick - depression. And no TLC.

Towards the end of August, I'd done an awful lot of strength work on my hamstrings and was being stretched out by physio Alan Kelly, but then all of a sudden I was getting sharp pain in my lower back. So I went to a specialist, Frank Dowling. I'd had a back problem of its own accord, although I'm sure in some way they were interlinked.

Frank Dowling decided I needed an injection into a couple of my facet joints, to help loosen the muscles up around there, which were causing spasms in the middle of my back. I was picked for the second game, against Munster, but I was pulled out of the game by the medical advisors. They wanted to be 150 per cent sure.

I played for the first 53 minutes against Ulster. I felt great in the first-half but then I went in at half-time and had to be nearly helped back onto the pitch. My leg completely seized when I sat down. I kinda rolled around for another 13 minutes and then Matt (Williams) duly took me off. I'd been blowing hard and that makes it very difficult to actually talk to your team-mates. Communication really suffers.

But we won, and I felt a bit better when we played Ulster again in Ravenhill the next week. But the mighty David Humphreys just killed us, kicking into the corners all night. He was outstanding. When I was going off he patted me on the back and said "good to see you back". I really like Humpy, I've a lot of time for him.

I lasted 74 minutes that day and the full 80 against Connacht a week later. Against Edinburgh Reivers I could have gone on for another half-an-hour. Biarritz at home was much better. It felt good to score my first try of the season, to be honest. I remember also calling the move. Shaggy (Horgan) did very well, picked the ball out and fed (Gordon) D'Arcy in the same movement, and then "Darce" just drew Glenn Osborne, although their number six nearly caught me.

I genuinely think I have lost a little gas compared to last year, but it's just a matter of training. I don't think it's gone for ever. But I definitely do think I'm a mini-second slower than I was.

Even though Northampton were under-strength at the same time any win in Franklins Gardens is a good win. I really enjoyed that one. Funny, I didn't really enjoy the return game against Northampton when we won 4031. The number of penalties against us was very frustrating. People were coming up afterwards saying "that was such an exciting game". And I hadn't been excited at all by it. I always thought we were going to win, especially when Budge Pountney was sent-off, and even at 18-0 down. I was just so fed up I went straight home and watched the video.

Looking at Denis scoring his try from his own chip ahead, what I couldn't believe was the way he controlled his chip while going full tilt without breaking his stride. I couldn't believe how skilful that was, and leaving Ben Cohen for dead. I remember doing that against England last year and I nearly fell over when losing my balance. I still don't think I've mastered that. It must be one of those things I'm really going to have to practice.

I really like playing with the Leinster backs. They have the exact same mentality. We want the ball as much as we possibly can, and through the hands. None of this getting it as far up the field as we can. At Donnybrook, we really do feel we can beat anyone.

It's been good getting to know the boys a bit better too, like Denis and Victor and Gazza, it's made it more fun. Victor had his 30th the other day, and socialising together we really enjoy each other's company. Denis' influence is rubbing off. I love my food and he's a food connoisseur, and if you're out for dinner with Denis you give him the wine list.

Matty last year was fantastic for us, and I'd never really had a specialist backs coach before. Al (Gaffney) is another specialist backs coach, he just comes up with some fantastic things. We actually come up with a lot of the stuff ourselves, and he fine tunes. He has great little drills, and observations about small things such as running support lines. They're great craic, although you don't always know what you're getting humour wise. And, like all coaches, they love you when you're winning.

I got a bit of a knock on the neck last week but I'll be okay for the internationals. I feel stronger though ideally I'd like to be around 14 and a half stone, whereas I'm usually just over 14 stone, just to give me that extra bit of strength. Size is nice. It matters. Every week as part of my new regime I visit "the great AK" (Alan Kelly) and he stretches my hamstrings out. I wouldn't say I feel as sharp as last season yet, but hopefully I will be after the internationals coming up now.

The only thing that kind of annoys me is that since Paris people judge me on how many tries I score. I was just lucky that day but a lot of teamwork goes into scoring tries and it doesn't really matter who scores them.

I haven't even got an eye on the Lions, because so much can happen. Why would you be picked if you have a poor Six Nations? Very few are sure of it. Malcolm O'Kelly may be one. I think Malcolm is one of the finest footballers in Ireland. He has a good game absolutely every game. He never has a bad one, ever. I'd say he's the first name Gatty pencils in on the teamsheet.

This season I don't want to just be on the international team, I want to be on a winning international team. Munster brought in great confidence last year and now that all the provinces are playing really well, we're becoming more and more used to it not being over until it's over. Like Ulster pulling that 35-all draw out of the fire in Toulouse and us against Northampton knowing it was going to come around, even if we had to wait until the last seven or eight minutes. So it's no longer just the Munster boys.

Now we all have that confidence.

In an interview with Gerry Thornley