It is the gift of the modern Rugby World Cup to deliver European players back into the thick of their club season. Fall off the horse in New Zealand and here is the chance to climb back on. There is no time to linger on the sublimely Gothic putrefaction of Twickenham, because off they go again, into the uplands of the Heineken Cup, the wonder of the professional age. The healing power of action.
Or it could be the curse of the World Cup. It used to be the general rule of thumb that players who performed well on a Lions tour, which at least returned them to the quiet of the high summer, still took anything up to 18 months to recover their form and freshness. How can anyone who stretched their powers to the limit and beyond in New Zealand be in any shape now to perform again so soon?
In England's case nothing was stretched other than the bounds of disbelief. Now is the opportunity for the mother country's players to convert themselves from objects of ridicule into the roguishly cuddly personae that used to charm their way out of trouble. "Our day job is terribly tough, you know, but we're rather good fun off the field."
The reconversion may not be that easy. Northampton, purveyor of a typically forthright brand of English style last season and supplier to the national team of, among others, Courtney Lawes, Ben Foden, Dylan Hartley and Chris Ashton, some of whom did not go without mention in the dispatches of charm-gone-wrong in New Zealand, are away to Munster in the first round. For the Saints, already having to purge themselves of memories of last year's Heineken Cup final, where they blew a 22-6 half-time lead, there are easier pathways to redemption.
Especially as Munster form part of an Irish system that may have a few issues of its own to resolve. The Irish had a glimpse of glory at the World Cup, an opportunity they carved out for themselves against Australia and Italy, only to have the dream shattered by Wales in the quarter-final. Ireland were beaten by the better side, but that does not spare them the hurt.
It will be fascinating to see how the representatives of two contrasting forms of disappointment put themselves back together at Thomond Park, Limerick. The money must be on Munster to regroup the better at their home, but they come into Europe on the back of a defeat in the Pro 12 to Leinster in Dublin, and the power of shame has yet to be revealed in the performances of the England players. If they feel any, that is. If they don't then Munster will destroy them.
Leinster, the reigning champions, have a funny away day in Montpellier. "Funny" because this is France and it is pointless trying to predict what will happen. Surely there has to be some sort of hangover among the leading clubs of the Top 14 after the World Cup? Montpellier is where François Trinh-Duc, one of the central characters in France's campaign of near-glorious lunacy, plays his domestic rugby.
Montpellier's players will have a break this weekend, due to an outbreak of mumps in the camp of their designated opponents, newly promoted Lyon. Biarritz and Bayonne will not play their Basque derby either, as Biarritz played Lyon last weekend.
Biarritz, heavyweights of the Top 14 and the model for the conservative game that carried France – bumpily – to the World Cup final are having a torrid season, with draws against Lyon and Agen and an away win at Bordeaux Bégles all they have to show from nine rounds of the championship. They are bottom of the league and have to go to the Liberty Stadium to face the Ospreys.
And what of Wales? Every ounce of common sense says that the country that had a stellar World Cup must now suffer a dip. The ultimate feeling from New Zealand was one of disappointment, tempered by the exhilaration of the adventure. They lost three games in the end – compared with England's one – but "how many" is irrelevant alongside the "how". Can the dash and fitness that served the national team so well transfer itself to the Welsh regions? The rumour is that training schedules and intent across the board have been transformed by the World Cup experience, but whether the players who led the way can keep themselves going remains to be seen. The Ospreys must take advantage of meeting Biarritz at a moment of Basque depression.
Perhaps the Welsh region worth a flutter on are the Scarlets. They sacrificed two years of tangible success by developing young, homegrown talent. And suddenly they have Tavis Knoyle, Rhys Priestland, Scott Williams, Jonathan Davies and George North in their backs. It is a formidable line of fearless, ambitious talent, and if the pack can produce quick ball they may light up Europe, starting at Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli against Castres.
The danger is that the forwards of the French club, who are currently third in the Top 14, and of Northampton and Munster in the same pool, will impose some European reality. But we can only dream, that adventure from Wales will set the Heineken Cup ablaze, and that England, in its endlessly entertaining drama, can sweeten their sour rugby.
