'You can’t really dwell on it too long' - Ulster's Ethan McIlroy moving past injury pain

The utility back has only made eight appearances in the white shirt across the last two seasons after a catalogue of injuries and setbacks.

“Obviously when you think you're sort of starting to play well - and just before I did my long-term knee injury, I thought I was playing well and playing good rugby and starting games, getting a bit of run of form - it's just those niggles that maybe caught up to my body.

"But you can't really dwell on it too long, especially with a long-term injury...you've just got to focus on getting the knee better, you're not really thinking about too much else.

"So it almost makes it easier in a way, you don't need to think about the rugby or turning up on a Friday night and performing your best...and then coming back, obviously it's such a strong squad, the team's playing so well, so it's a lot tougher.

"But you've just got to keep going and keep turning on.”

McIlroy’s most serious injury was to his ACL.

“I think with how I've ruptured it - and then I think I did a few tears in the MCL and maybe PCL, which just means that nine-month sort of mark is definitely pretty much certain because of just the slowness post-surgery,” he said. “You meet with your physio, you do exactly what he says...you do the extra bits at home, you do the extra bits in the gym, because you're just focused on one thing.

"It's not the worst, but it's a long road to be sort of watching the game and watching the team do well.

“I’d set a couple of dates in my head, they got wiped away and then that there's no point setting a date really, you've just got to keep turning up every day and go for it.

“I think if I had advice for anyone else it would be to not really think about a date coming back.

“Obviously there's been quite a lot of ACLs pre-me and post-me already, so I took a lot of advice from the likes of James Hume, Ben Moxon etc...it was easy to lean on them whenever I felt I had questions about it or anything I felt unsure about and then hopefully I've done the same with the likes of James McNabney.

“I think the first time I ran out with Ulster after the injury was at the Aviva against Leinster.

"They were bringing on a bunch of Lions players and I was sort of coming on for the first game back in about a year, so it was a bit of a baptism of fire.

"But it was nice to be back on the pitch and I really enjoyed getting back out there.”

McIlroy is hoping he can help Ulster win a trophy this season.

“The body's feeling good...I think I took another step forward in sort of how I was moving and how I was getting around the park,” he said. “But just, with not loads of rugby under my belt, there's still so much that I'm learning and I took a lot of learnings from that Connacht game.

“I've chatted to the coaches after that game and taken a lot from it but just in terms of my body and how it's moving and how it's going, I think I've taken a bit of a step forward.”