But now Wood, and teammates Chris Ashton, Dylan Hartley and Ben Foden, will have the chance to settle some scores against an Ulster side on a run of six straight wins.

Four Irishmen who lined up for Ireland at the Aviva will be starting on Sunday as Ulster make their first appearance in the Heineken Cup knockout stages since winning it in 1999.

“We want to win for us and our reasons, but for the England lads who played in Dublin it will be nice to have felt like we’ve evened the score,” said Wood who made his England debut in the Six Nations opener against Wales.

“It will be nice to get one up again and get back on a positive against the Irish.

“There’s a danger that before the game you concentrate on the technical stuff, you figure out ways of winning in terms of plays, move and intricacies.

“Then you go out there and they’re that up for it that none of it comes off. They’re in your faces that bit quicker

“Everyone hates us, so that stuff is pretty much run of the mill. You do whatever gets you up for it on match day.

“If that’s what sparks them into life then fair enough. We don’t seem to have that same hatred for everyone else.

“You have to hate everyone evenly. You need a little bit of that, especially in the forwards.

“You have to make it personal against the opposition. It isn’t personal, afterwards you shake hands, but on the field it has to be.”