The Leicester Tigers openside suffered a knee injury in the opening Heineken Cup game of this season against Ospreys at Welford Road and was out of action for three months before returning to face Italian side Benetton Treviso in January.
It was particularly frustrating for the 26-year-old England Saxons cap, who joined Tigers from Newcastle Falcons in the summer.
Woods said: “We had just beaten the Ospreys and to be told I was out for three months was very frustrating.
“I had a couple of games for the second team when I got back to fitness and went from playing for them on a Monday night to starting against Treviso on the Saturday.
“Injuries are part and parcel of the game but it’s how you come back from them and getting your head round the rehab and all that hard work.
“Sometimes it can take a while before you are back to how you were feeling before but, while I have made a few mistakes in games, I am not too displeased with my form so far.
“Obviously there is a lot to work on, which is why I came to Leicester. You are continually going to have to work to get into the team.”
Woods has started Tigers’ last four games since making his comeback and expects to face a tough test at the Madejski Stadium today.
“London Irish are a very good team,” he says.
“It is going to be a big test. We know we have a tough game away from home.
“But we have a good squad and are playing quite well. We are going there with the attitude that we want to play and we want to do the things that we are good at. Execute that when we have the ball and defend well when we don’t have the ball.”
