Nick Williams admits he’s settled back into reality after an unforgettable festive period.
The talismanic number eight went viral as he was surprised with a Christmas visit from his mother, Aolele, who had flown over from New Zealand.
Aolele had never watched Williams play live during his 12-year career in Europe, where he’s also represented Munster, Aironi and Ulster.
However, she finally got to tick that off the list when Williams returned to action in the derby against Scarlets at Cardiff Arms Park.
With Aolele having now returned to Hamilton, Williams says his feet are back on the ground as he looks to get back into business, starting with Saturday’s Challenge Cup clash against Calvisano.
“It’s been emotionally and mentally brilliant, and quite draining at the same time,” said the former Junior All Black.
"It's good for my girls and my family to see the normal side of things.
“I’ll always appreciate and be grateful for it, as it’s always good to have family over during that time of the year.
“She loved it. And as special as it was for me, it was also special for my daughters to have that one-on-one time with their grandmother, which is hard when we’ve been in New Zealand because of the other grandchildren as well.
“It’s good for her to see them in their elements. It was a bit hard for her to understand their Welsh accents at times, but she got there in the end.
“The timing for my return from a hamstring injury couldn’t have been any better, but I’m obviously gutted that we didn’t get that win against Scarlets.
"But personally that was a very special night for me.
“All-in-all it was a special time but now it’s good to get back to what I think I do best, and that’s bashing heads."
Cardiff Blues’ hopes of reaching the Challenge Cup knockout stages remain alive. The two-times winners will need to secure maximum points against the Italian outfit, while hoping other results fall in their favour.
The 36-year-old admits the situation is frustrating, but is expecting an exciting encounter at the Arms Park on Saturday.
Williams added: “It is frustrating. We’re born winners and that’s why we play rugby, because at the end of the day, you want to win.
“There were a lot of positives in the first half against Leicester, but unfortunately in the second half they strangled us well in our own half, and we couldn’t get out of there.
“The upside is that we get to have a crack here at home, and finger crossed other results will go our way and we can get through.
“We can’t control what happens away from here, we can only control what we do as a group at the Arms Park.
“We’ve picked an exciting little squad out there this week, with some players who haven’t been involved in recent weeks, or some new boys who are coming through.
“It should be a good one to watch on Saturday afternoon.”
At 36 years old, Williams is currently the oldest squad member at Wales’ Capital Region, and is seen as a true leader at the Arms Park.
The Auckland-born back row has emphasised the importance of the older players mentoring the squad’s promising youngsters, such as Shane Lewis-Hughes.
He added: “I don’t see it as pressure, I see it as a blessing to have that opportunity to go again.
“We have a really young group of boys here, and boys that probably don’t get to play alongside each other for the majority of the season.
“This is why teams up here have to buy well when it comes to purchasing foreign players, and it’s for the times that boys go away for Six Nations and World Cups.
“This is where you need the boys who aren’t from the land to put their hands up and help to guide the younger boys through.
“I wouldn’t say I’m an influence, but the thing with Shane is that he likes to listen, which is sometimes quite hard for some of the younger blokes.
“With Shane, humility is a big thing. He likes to take it in, appreciates when he’s wrong, and regardless of if he’s right he knows he still has to work on it.
“That shows with the way he’s been playing this season, and hopefully he won’t get caught up with the squad announcement for the Six Nations.
“But his inclusion in the Welsh team for the Barbarians is a testament to him.
“We all know that he’s a hard working bloke on the field, but what people don’t see is what he does off the field.
“Guys like us, that have been around the way, and have a ball of experience. But we can only give so much. It’s about the younger guys putting their hands up and wanting to ask us questions, and we’ll be more than happy to share with them.”
Cardiff Blues' European hopes are alive as they welcome Calvisano to the Arms Park on Saturday. Make sure you're there as John Mulvihill's side target the five points to stay in the race for a third Challenge Cup title. Kids are a quid, adult tickets are from £10, and are available to purchase now!