After a difficult week for Ulster, John Andrew is looking forward to getting back playing again in what could be a special game for him.
An "unprecedented" bout of sickness hit the camp in Durban ahead of the clash with the Sharks with 42 of the province’s 49-strong travelling party were found to be suffering from either E. Coli, Norovirus or both.
That led to the postponement of the United Rugby Championship fixture dashing Ulster's hopes of becoming the first northern hemisphere side to do the double in South Africa.
Read next: Banbridge Rugby Club ordered to play game behind closed doors
Andrew and his teammates have put that disappointment and the sickness behind them as their attention turns to a trip to Thomond Park this evening to face Munster, a place where they haven't won since 2014.
Victory would be the perfect way for Andrew to mark his 100th cap for the province, but he admitted his attention is solely on the game.
"I think these are things you'll appreciate when you're not playing," he said.
"I was a massive Ulster fan, my dad brought me to every game on a Friday night.
"He used to rush home from work so we could be the first ones in as I needed to be at the front so I could see.
"At that stage if someone had offered me one minute of playing for Ulster that would have been a dream come true for me.
"To get to 100 is great, it's a personal achievement and I know it makes my family proud.
"I know the amount of sacrifices my mum and dad had to make to take me to training and stuff so it's nice for them.
"My parents, wife and in-laws will maybe enjoy it more than I will because you don't really want to get caught in too many things."
Andrew was one of the travelling party who was struck down by illness in Durban and he said it was a relief to finally get back out onto the training pitch again this week.
"It wasn't nice but there were maybe other boys who suffered a bit more," he said.
"You're just disappointed when you don't get to play, you're now itching to play against Munster because you missed out on an opportunity to play last week.
"The boys are just happy to be feeling well again and looking forward to going out to play.
"I think we always look forward to going down there, they always have a good pack and a fairly decent team.
"It's been a while since we've won down there so it shows how decent they are, but we are looking forward to going down there and testing ourselves against them."
READ NEXT:
- Ulster Rugby match rescheduling thrown in doubt as forfeit fears arise
Worcester Warriors situation leaves Jonny Bell worrying about the game of rugby
Ex-Ulster Rugby star Nick Williams issues thanks after cardiac arrest ordeal
Sign up to our free sports newsletter to get the latest headlines to your inbox.
