Waking up in our Durban hotel on March 29, the Brumbies touring party was scheduled for a 9am departure to a game farm two hours inland for a day-and-night safari.

That clearly didn't eventuate as news filtered through that Mackay had been hit by a car a few hours earlier and was undergoing surgery for serious head and leg injuries.

That morning in the hotel was, quite frankly, horrible. Everybody wanted answers and updates but with Mackay in an induced coma, answers weren't available.

The waiting game had been forced upon everybody already. By lunchtime on that Sunday, small bits of information had dribbled through.

All that was known was that Mackay had a broken leg, that he was hit outside a Durban nightclub and that it happened at 4am.

It was revealed 15 of the Brumbies players were out with some of the Durban players that night after the Sharks had beaten the ACT side 35-17 hours earlier.

And it was confirmed Mackay's parents John and Leonie were flying over to be by their son's bedside at St Augustine's hospital.

The rest would remain an unknown until Mackay would ideally wake up from his induced coma post-surgery.

The week that followed was emotionally challenging for all involved.

The Brumbies players were supposed to be preparing for their final game of the tour against the Free State Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on the Saturday.

But a rugby match was the last thing on their minds as they dealt with the news their mate was fighting for his life.

In the end, it was a battle Mackay lost. He died in hospital on April 6.

For more on this story, see today's Canberra Times.