Boyhood fan John Andrew set for Ulster century cap

Andrew made his provincial debut seven years ago and admits Ulster rugby has always been a big part of his life.

“These are things you will appreciate when you’re not playing, I was a massive Ulster fan, my dad brought me to every game on a Friday night and my dad would rush home from work so he could get me up here (Kingspan Stadium) and we had to be the first in as I needed to stand right at the front to be able to see,” said Andrew. “At that stage, if someone had offered me one minute of playing for Ulster I would have taken it...that would have been like ‘yeah, that’s the dream come true’.

“To get to 100 is great, it’s a personal achievement for me and it makes my family proud, the amount of sacrifices my Mum and Dad have had to make to take me to training and sorts of things.

"It’s probably nice for them and my Mum, Dad, wife and in-laws will probably enjoy it more than I will because you don’t really want to get caught up in too many things, the emotion of the game too early in the week because you could find yourself drained come that time.

“So it’s something you’ll look back on with fond memories when you’re not playing but it’s definitely not something that just passes over me, it’s an achievement I’m proud of.”

There have been many setbacks on the road to 100 caps for Andrew.

“I’ve been in a position loads of times where I’m not number one, starting, it’s not easy every week...you’ve got 40 boys who all want to be starting at the weekend so you’ve got plenty of boys who are disappointed,” he said. “I’ve had loads of days where it’s been really tough and I’ve probably been really tough to live with.

“Going home and my wife not wanting to ask me if I’m playing or not because she can probably tell by the way I’m walking through the door. That year I had to make a shift in mindset because if you’re not playing every week and that’s where you’re placing your happiness...you don’t have too much control over that, you have control during the week by trying to be as professional as you can be and trying to improve and train really well.

"But if that’s what you’re placing everything on at the end of the week and it doesn’t go your way you can be not the nicest to be around or living with or Dad is scared to pick up the phone and ask me how I’m feeling.

“I actually think that shift in mindset has helped me because you have to find another way of putting all your effort into training and that’s what I did. I was like finding that if I had gone in and given everything during training and that I’m satisfied I’ve got better then I was going home happy.”

l Centres Stafford McDowall and Kyle Steyn, winger Rufus McLean and forward Murphy Walker have been released from the Scotland squad to start in Glasgow’s Scotstoun clash with Benetton. Warriors have 12 players still with Gregor Townsend’s squad but the sickness bug that forced the postponement of last weekend’s game against Emirates Lions has totally cleared.