The current Director of Coaching in Bangor is evidently still in the mind of Ulster coach Harry Williams. Now creeping further into his 30s, the back-rower, who will play anywhere from six to eight for his club, has been a loyal player for Bangor since his school days through good times and bad and a vital cog in Ulster's European Cup triumph last season.

Despite many offers from more fashionable clubs, the mechanical engineer who came through Bangor Grammar came off the bench this season against Connacht and continues to show astuteness in a game increasingly dominated by muscle and bulk.

McKinty has also captained Ulster on many occasions and despite the pressures of rugby continues to work in a demanding job for a company associated with the giant Caterpillar outfit. Indeed, McKinty flew to the US the morning after Ulster's win, his US colleagues not understanding how the trivial matter of a rugby match could keep him away from company HQ in Chicago!