Dave Shanahan delighted to score winning try as Ulster defeated URC champions Glasgow at Kingspan Stadium

The scrum half, starting his 12th season in Belfast, came off the bench on 53 minutes as a replacement for Nathan Doak.

Ulster were trailing Glasgow by four points in the 84th minute before Shanahan went over to get the decisive score.

“It feels good, we don't like making it easy for ourselves sometimes, do we?” said Shanahan.

“We've been pretty up and down, it's a good feeling. When you come on as a sub you're expected to make a difference and the guys put in a big shift for the majority of the game.

“We were joking in the changing room, the forwards must have done 20 or 30 pick-and-goes all the way up to the line and then it just sort of came to me to the end and it was an easy put down. They did all the hard work and it was a great feeling.

“I try to stay pretty consistent with how I think. It's up to the coaches to pick the best player and who the best two nines are, and the way I look at it is when I get a chance, play my very best and that's all I can do. I was happy I was able to make a decent impact.”

While Kingspan Stadium celebrated, Shanahan has his Ulster team-mates had an anxious wait while the TMO reviewed the winning try.

“I didn't know what he was checking, maybe that my knee was down, and it was a double movement or something?” Shanahan said. “Not sure, maybe it was illegal but the scoreline's there now and it can't be changed.”

Ulster travel to South Africa midweek for games against the Lions on Saturday at lunchtime and the Stormers seven days later, and Shanahan feels the players are getting used to the challenge of playing in the Rainbow Nation.

“I think when the South Africans came in and we went there it was a bit of a shock, especially when you went to places with altitude and heat.

“We’re playing at altitude on Saturday. A lot of the games have been played in it before, so we are more used to it.

“The travel, guys have probably got their routine a bit better than they would before. We’re going mid-week, so we’ll train here at the start of the week and when we get out there we know it is all about just being ready for the game, so we weren’t train loads when we get there.

“Guys probably develop their own little ways of getting ready for that,” he added.

“We have won plenty of times over there. I wasn’t there the last time we went to the Lions, but we won.

“It can be a different game when you go over there. They like to play expansive rugby and if the weather is good, it can be tough.

“It will be a good challenge going over there and I’m looking forward to it.”