He is far too familiar with observing rather than actually participating, so it seemed fitting that the long-serving David Shanahan was the one whose intervention sealed the result.
The 31-year-old who has been on the books at Ravenhill for over a decade rightly enjoyed the moment when scoring the 84th-minute winner against URC champions Glasgow Warriors, and his busy second-half cameo off the bench ought to have done his cause no harm at all as he prepares to jet off to South Africa with the squad.
“I try to stay pretty consistent with how I think,” the Dublin native said of having to be particularly patient for chances to play, with John Cooney (currently injured) and Nathan Doak usually ahead of him in the pecking order.
“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.”
Ulster’s David Shanahan celebrates scoring a late try to clinch a dramatic victory over Glasgow
He did that alright, bringing energy and enthusiasm to the cause, though Shanahan was by no means alone here with Cormac Izuchukwu, Harry Sheridan, Tom O’Toole and James McCormick all making their mark as well.
“When you come on as a sub, you’re expected to make a difference,” Shanahan added.
“We were joking downstairs (afterwards 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 at the end, and it was an easy put-down.
“They did all the hard work, and it was a great feeling,” the scrum-half said of his match-winning score from close range.
“You’ve got to give credit to the lads for the grit they showed at the end there.
“Sometimes it’s not pretty, but sometimes just being able to win those games is a skill in itself. Winning a game like that is a big plus for us.”
Ulster’s David Shanahan with the Player of the Match award following the victory over Glasgow
Mind you, there was a TMO check to get through before Shanahan and his team-mates could properly celebrate the moment.
He continued: “I didn’t know what he was checking, maybe that my knee was down and it was a double movement or something. Not sure. The scoreline is there now and it can’t be changed.”
Shanahan added some insight into just how challenging it can be not playing regularly – in the previous two seasons, he has featured just 12 times, with one start – and the pressure that this brings when pitch time is achieved.
“I was lucky to get a decent bit of game-time in the pre-season, I got 30 minutes in both games, so for me, the way I work when I start a few games in a row or get significant game-time, I feel like a different player after it,” he said.
“It is tough as a sub when you come on all the time and you only get five or 10 minutes because you feel that everything you do carries way too much weight.
“So, it is good to get out there for a decent chuck of time because if you make a few mistakes, that is not your only contribution to the game, and you get to do plenty of good things when you’re on for a longer period.”
As for the trip to South Africa to play the Lions and Bulls, he said: “We’re playing in altitude, and it is always going to be tough, but we’ll back ourselves to go over there and give it a good shot.”