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'My superpower is my energy and ability to keep going'

John Cooney pictured during a recent match for UlsterGetty Images

Listen to Leinster v Ulster on BBC Sounds & BBC Sport website from 17:00 BST on Saturday, 8 June

Matt Gault
BBC Sport NI Senior Journalist

With a fair few miles on the clock and having grappled with the entire spectrum of emotions that comes with being a high-level sportsperson, John Cooney seems comfortable in his skin.

Now 34, Cooney comes across as one of Irish rugby's deeper thinkers. He is content with what he has achieved in the game and, perhaps more importantly, no longer dwells on what he hasn't.

Cooney's popularity at Ulster stems from his willingness to open up when placed in front of a dictaphone or camera, a mindset not shared by a lot of his peers.

He was comfortable itting that he was "quite bitter" about losing his place in the Ireland squad, while as recently as five weeks ago he spoke candidly about having questioned his ability following Ulster's defeat by the Sharks in March.

Having absorbed enough setbacks throughout his career, it could have broken him. Cooney, however, had other ideas.

"My superpower is my energy and ability to keep going," he tells BBC Sport NI.

"In the depths of winter, maybe I did think 'can I keep going">