It might technically be the same season still but much has changed for Connacht between March and this Sunday's Guinness Pro14 resumption when the province recommences competitive action against Ulster behind closed doors at the Aviva Stadium.
There are a whole host of new faces for head coach Andy Friend to integrate out west.
"It's different without a doubt," he admitted RTÉ Sport as he looked ahead to getting back into the fray.
"But at the same time, it's just given us great opportunity. To a man, every player that was here and has remained here has used the Covid time and the time off to develop their bodies which has been really impressive.
"Then with the new guys that have come in, it's a fresh start for them."
One who has impressed him in the mid-season version of a pre-season during lockdown has been Ireland centre Bundee Aki, who will make his 100th Connacht appearance at an empty Aviva Stadium.
"He's a warrior and a super, super competitor," said Friend.
"He's a bit like a caged animal. He's been locked up for five months and hasn't been able to do what he loves doing which is playing rugby.
"Given that it's his 100th on Sunday, that's just added incentive for him, no doubt. But Bundee gives his best whenever he's playing.
"What's been really impressive about him though is how he's changed his body shape. He's just under 100 kilos now and it's a good 100 kilos. He's looking lean and looking big and he wants to put that on show on Sunday and any other game that he plays."
With the prospect of reaching the latter stages of this season's recalibrated and shortened Pro14 play-offs now a very distant prospect, Friend's thoughts are turning to development.
"I know mathematically we can still make semi-finals but listen, it's a long shot, let's be honest," he said.
"But these games are still massively important for us because we've got huge competition across all positions and I'm really comfortable and confident with the squad that we've got and I believe it's in the best spot I've seen it since I've been here.
"But now on that of that, you've hopefully got an extended Irish season. Like any other squad, we've got [players] who want to play for their country, so they know that Andy Farrell and his coaching group will be watching and they'll want to put a good performance in for them."
Follow Leinster v Munster (7.35pm, Saturday) and Connacht v Ulster (4.30pm, Sunday) via our live blogs on RTÉ.ie/sport and the News Now app, or listen to live commentary on RTÉ Radio 1
