[mod_python] getting username when using publisher auth

Is it possible to get at the username from "normal code" when
authentication is done using __auth__ methods? req.connection.user is
None...

def test(req):
    def __auth__(req, user, passwd):
        if user == "eggs" and passwd == "spam":
            return 1
        else:
            return 0

    return "Hello "+str(req.connection.user)

returns "Hello None"... adding a call to req.get_basic_auth_pw() does 
not help.

Thanks,
Hugo van der Merwe