TIM GRIGG has described his incredible Rugby World Cup spell with the mighty New Zealand All Blacks as ‘mind-blowing’.

The former Cirencester Town and Forest Green Rovers sports therapist spent three weeks with the reigning world champions as one of ten volunteers who helped with post-match massage sessions to ease their bumps and bruises as they went through the pool stages of the competition.

Now, after finishing his work with the All Blacks last weekend when they reached the semi-finals by smashing France 62-13 in Cardiff on Saturday, it is back to the day job in Gloucestershire for Grigg.

But the physio has given a fascinating insight into the All Blacks camp during the last few weeks as they went about the defence of their trophy.

He spent four hours at a time working on the biggest stars in rugby during their stays in Cardiff and Swansea.

And, as fearsome as the New Zealand stars are on the pitch, where they have rumbled all before them and now face southern hemisphere rivals South Africa today in a massive battle of the giants, Grigg said: “They are all fantastic people. They were very kind and polite but wanted to talk about anything other than rugby when we were working on them.”

One of the players Grigg worked on was, in fact, the All Blacks captain and arguably the greatest flanker in the world today – Richie McCaw.

One light-hearted moment showed a different side to the New Zealand legend and is the memory that stands out for the ex-Cirencester Town man.

Grigg said: “I was in the middle of the treatment room and doing massages when, all of a sudden, Richie McCaw came in. He had a guitar and just started singing some song from back home.”

He added: “When I started playing rugby when I was 15 I was watching people like Richie on TV. So to be in the same room and having the privilege to work on the man was surreal. This is someone who I have idolised and here I am helping him.”

Grigg worked not just on McCaw during his time with the All Blacks but cross-code centre Sonny Bill Williams, massive prop Owen Franks and scrum-half genius Aaron Smith.

“What also made it special was that there are a few players in that squad at their last World Cup. You can see how much they want this. They are so focussed and determined and they do not leave any stone unturned.

“To be part of that was surreal and mind-blowing. After the first session I had with them, I did not want it to end. I wanted to go back again and again – it was that enjoyable.”

Grigg returned home from his incredible adventure in the heart of the New Zealand camp on Sunday not just with brilliant memories and stories to tell his friends and family but also with a signed All Blacks jersey.

“We have done our bits with them now and hopefully they can go on and do well,” he said.

And he would like to see the All Blacks go all the way to the final and win the Webb Ellis Trophy for a third time – and the first on foreign soil – ‘just purely because I participated in their team preparation for a time and also because they are so welcoming’.

But Grigg, who now works for Five Valleys Physio in Ebley, hopes his involvement with the defending World Cup champions will continue in the future when they are back in England for their regular clashes at Twickenham in the Autumn Test Series.

“Next autumn, they are looking to come over and they have already said they would like us to work with them again.”