Pro14: Ulster 'chomping at the bit' to play again says hooker John Andrew

Ulster have won 10 of their 11 Pro14 matches this season

Ulster hooker John Andrew says the squad are "chomping at the bit" to resume their Pro14 campaign on Friday.

The province have not played since 8 January, and have five games left as they seek to reach the final on 27 March.

They travel to Glasgow this weekend hoping to gain ground of Conference A leaders Leinster, who have a four-point advantage at the top.

"I don't think anybody would have wanted a five-week break," Andrew said.

"One or two is usually grand to freshen up.

"It is what it is, we were lucky in that we had no games postponed during that first block."

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Having played the vast majority of weeks since the 2019-20 season resumed in late August, Ulster's first sizeable break came after they surrendered their 100% league record away to Leinster early last month.

With the two provinces far ahead of the chasing pack, they are in a straight tussle to clinch the final berth.

"There's no point in thinking of five weeks time because you've got a job in front of you," Andrew insisted.

"Anyone in this league can beat anyone, so if you end up thinking about what will happen in a month or six weeks time, I don't think that'll do you any good.

"We know what we need to do, but we're just preparing like we did for all the other games which has stood us in good stead in the past."

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Four South African teams will be introduced to the Pro14 sides this spring in a one-off Rainbow Cup, with the sides expected to join the league on a permanent basis from next season.

The new format combined with the damage already inflicted to the schedule by the pandemic means that Ulster's 2020-21 season run-in comes far earlier than usual.

"Maybe any other year if this happened you would find it this strange," Andrew admitted.

"The end of last season and this season has been not close to normal so by this stage nothing really is a surprise to you.

"As a team we're pretty good at getting our heads down, getting on with stuff."