Munster hooker Niall Scannell has admitted he feared for his career during his lengthy injury layoff earlier this season, but is feeling back to his best as the province enter the business end of the season.
Scannell has played just four competitive games this season due to the groin injury he suffered in pre-season, which kept him sidelined until mid-January.
The 31-year-old made a timely return in the Champions Cup pool game away to Toulon, and steadied a struggling Munster lineout as his side picked up their first win of the competition.
And he says their victory in the south of France was even more special on a personal level.
"I'm just delighted to be back playing," he said.
"Toulon was just a huge day for me. Genuinely six weeks earlier I wasn't sure if I was going to play again."
The veteran hooker had suffered the groin injury in pre-season, with the issue eventually leading to a six-month layoff after multiple setbacks.
And while he says the issue of retirement was never fully discussed by the Munster medical team, he added that his rehab struggles left him wondering if he would ever get back on the pitch.
"We tried a few things and they didn't work. There was definitely a period when I thought, 'I won't get better'.
"I just didn't really respond great to what would be the traditional groin osteitis pubis treatments.
"There were more mental challenges and it was tough at times. It was just that it was going on for so long. It's something that probably shouldn't be a six month injury, and when you're trying to get back and it's not happening, then you try a second and third time to go running and it's just not holding up, you start to think 'what's going on here, why isn't it recovering?'.
And he credits the Munster medical
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Niall Scannell