Rob ​Herring loving life with Ulster after landmark night

The Irish hooker was sprung from the bench after 50 minutes to make his 230th appearance for the province, one more than previous record holders Darren Cave and Andrew Trimble.

“When I started here, I never thought I'd have that record,” said Herring. “It was great to be back, first and foremost.

“An inter-pro game against Munster, it wasn't about me, it's about the team, just doing the best I can and helping us get the win...it was a great game to be coming back into, Kingspan and Friday night lights.

“It's been brilliant, I love playing for this province, I've been here a long time now, my daughter was born here, we're fully settled here.

“It's a great group of guys, you come into work and you really enjoy what we do, to be a part of that.

“I've a few more years in me yet, hopefully, but I'm loving my time at the moment.”

Herring left his native South Africa to spend a season at London Irish before arriving in Belfast in 2012.

“I was thinking about it during the week, I came over as a young lad chasing my dream to be a pro rugby player,” he said. “It's been a great journey so far, I look back over the years and we've had some unbelievable moments, I've had some unbelievable team-mates, Belfast is a great place to live.”

“We've really enjoyed it here, I didn't in my wildest dreams think I'd be in this position when I first arrived 11 years ago...here we are.

“When I first came here I had to really learn to be a professional, looking after the body, getting myself ready for every game.

“It's weird because when you're in the thick of it, you're not looking too far ahead or far back.

“I think it's a bit of my mentality, I'm a bit stubborn, I'm competitive.

“Those attributes have probably kept me on the pitch at times, got me in the team and kept me there.

“I've still a few more years in me and I'll be stubborn until the end.”

Herring has never wanted to leave Ulster.

“I was chatting to my wife about it, we obviously had opportunities to move over the years,” he said. “I've never really seriously considered it, I've always loved my time here, I feel a part of this club.

“I really want to help us get silverware, something we've missed over the last few years.

“I think that's something we hopefully have on the horizon and I want to be a part of it.”

Ulster were 14-11 down when Herring came on and he had to put the emotion of the night aside to help his team get over the winning line.

“It's experience, I guess,” he said. “On the bench I try and stay calm and collected and whenever your name gets called, you flip that switch and you're into game mode...over the years, it's something you get used to.

“We were behind when I came on and I knew I had to settle in first, do my job and help those around me.

Credit to Scotty (Scott Wilson) coming on for his first game...unbelievable.”