'I was struggling to remember if I was good at rugby' - Cooney

Cooney has been central to Ulster's two recent URC wins over Cardiff and Benetton

Just five weeks ago, John Cooney was as low as he has felt after any game in his rugby career.

While Ulster's defeat by the Sharks in Durban last month may have seemed to many like simply more of the same in a disappointing campaign, for the Irish province's scrum-half it represented a nadir.

Indeed, he puts it right alongside the serious shoulder injury he suffered in his Connacht days and the twin blow of being dropped for the Pro14 final and losing his Ireland place soon after in 2020.

"If I'm being honest, I found that Sharks game to be the lowest I've ever felt after a game," Cooney said.

"I thought we were terrible. I [questioned] where are we going? I questioned my ability.

"I was struggling to remember if I was good at rugby anymore, which was probably happening for a lot of players.

"Then I had a hard word with myself, asking 'What do you want? You're almost 34 and you've got another year and a bit'.

"You've got a question - do you want to dissolve into your career and that be the end of it? Or do you want to fix it?"

Since then, Cooney has had more reason to be pleased with matters on the pitch.

Crediting the coaching of Ulster's interim boss Richie Murphy, the 11-times capped Irish international was back to his best in the 38-34 victory over Benetton on Friday night, reintroducing a running threat to his game, while crucially going six from six off the tee.

In a season when things have often seemed like a slog, Cooney looked to be enjoying himself in a game where the two sides evenly shared ten tries and his boot provided the difference.

"We have to enjoy it," Cooney added.

"Stu [Stuart McCloskey] joked at the end, 'Lads, we got five points, can we have a smile on our faces?'

"We left it close as usual but we have to enjoy them. We had to win, it was essentially a knockout game.

"We've got to enjoy these. During winter we didn't enjoy any of the wins we got because it was such a turbulent place and a difficult time.

"I didn't enjoy any of the games bar Racing [in the Champions Cup]. Even Leinster away I didn't enjoy, Connacht at home I didn't enjoy.

"I've been enjoying my rugby a lot more in the last few weeks."

Cooney puts Ulster's recent poor run alongside serious injury and losing his Ireland place

Cooney arrived at Kingspan Stadium ahead of the 2017/18 campaign, the last time Ulster made a mid-season coaching change.

Then, Jono Gibbes took over for Les Kiss and ultimately guided the side to Champions Cup qualification before departing himself at the end of the year to be replaced by Dan McFarland.

This season, McFarland left after a February defeat to the Ospreys with Murphy arriving on an interim basis after finishing the Six Nations with the Ireland Under-20s.

There was no immediate improvement in terms of results - Ulster lost three of Murphy's first four games - but the side have now won two in a row, with the Benetton victory the best performance of the 54-year-old's short tenure so far despite some sloppy tries conceded.

"My first season was a turbulent season with Jono and Les and all that," Cooney said.

"We had a line in the sand against Edinburgh that season where we said that was going to be a change in the season.

"We did that a couple of times this season and never backed it up. We had the Racing win, we had Leinster away, but I feel like now this could be it.

"This could be the line in the sand [where] we kick on."

Cooney kicked 13 points against Benetton

As Cooney acknowledges, Ulster have had such victories already this season before quickly taking another backwards step.

Sitting seventh in the URC with three rounds of action remaining, the man who turns 34 on Wednesday notes that nobody at Kingspan Stadium will be getting ahead of themselves with so much work still to be done.

"I don't think this season can have us in a place where we're not grounded," he added.

"I think we have to keep working and keep implementing what we want to do and get time on the paddock.

"I won't be letting any of the lads get ahead of themselves because we're still a way off where we need to get to."