Munster v Ulster: 'There's an energy about the group' - Ulster fly-half Burns ahead of Munster clash

Fly-half Billy Burns joined Ulster from Gloucester in 2018

Ulster fly-half Billy Burns says the Irish province's Covid-19 enforced break has given "some battered bodies" in the squad an opportunity to recover.

Dan McFarland's side face Munster at Thomond Park in the United Rugby Championship on Saturday, ending a three-week hiatus without a game.

The scheduled festive matches at home to Connacht and Leinster were postponed because of Covid cases in the camp.

"There's an energy around the group, that extra bit of focus," said Burns.

"Everyone is looking forward to the game, concentrating on our gameplan and ready for the big test that lies ahead. This is a very important match for our season.

"People who have been away isolating have come back in and the excitement is huge.

"We look forward to challenging ourselves - it's important we put in a strong performance, get a win and build some momentum for what is an important bloc of the season. We have had a chance to refresh and are recharged and ready to go."

• Moxham and McGrath start for Ulster against Munster

'Another chance to test ourselves'

Ulster's most recent matches yielded Champions Cup wins over Clermont Auvergne and Northampton and the province are also in a strong position in the URC, lying third in the table, four points behind pacesetters Leinster.

Munster also picked up two victories in their opening European encounters against Wasps and Castres but a disappointing 10-8 reverse at the hands of Connacht on New Year's Day sees them sit seventh in the URC standings.

Ulster have lost six and drawn one of their last seven visits to Thomond Park, but recent wins on the road against Leinster and Clermont offer hope of claiming another major scalp on their travels in Limerick.

"It is an incredibly tough place to go and it's going to be a really big challenge," conceded Ireland international Burns.

"That record gives us an insight into how difficult it will be - even with a reduced crowd it will be a cauldron.

"They are a proud team and very physical but that presents a challenge for us as a team. Some of the best wins you can have are away in those hostile environments so we are excited for it.

"We take our interprovincials very seriously and again it is a chance to test ourselves against one of the best teams in Europe and see how far we have progressed."

'We are all about being responsible'

Burns remains philosophical about the disruption caused by the outbreak of Covid cases among the Ulster squad in recent weeks and explains that everyone in the group is taking sensible precautions.

"We are all about being responsible and making good decisions - nobody is going out catching Covid on purpose," said the former Gloucester number 10.

"We probably knew we would be affected at some stage and unfortunately for us that happened over the Christmas period.

"We are just trying to do the right things from day to day and following the protocols that are required of us in terms of testing and staying away from each other on site and wearing masks in the gym. That's all we can do at the moment."