And he admitted he spent part of the warm-up looking round for Hurricanes tracksuits.
He might have got those couple of things wrong but he got nearly everything else right as the midfield back played a big part in the Highlanders' 23-19 win over the Chiefs in Hamilton on Saturday night.
Ellison had arrived back in the country on Thursday after living in Japan, and linked with his new team-mates on Friday.
He admitted it had all been pretty rushed.
"It was quite funny in the warm-up. I was looking round for these yellow tracksuits, thinking I was still playing for the Hurricanes. But no, it was awesome to get out there," Ellison said.
"I came back a couple of weeks ago when we had a break and Shaun Treeby had had some knee problems and Kenny had a major injury. I knew I was going to be there or thereabouts so I kept my mind on it.
"It was a bit too physical out there for me. Maybe it was good to get out there straight away rather than worrying about it.
"My legs were pretty stuffed halfway through the first half. I thought I might get half a game. But the coaches were not too keen to drag me off."
There was no chance of that as Ellison was outstanding in an Highlanders side which clawed its way back from a 10-point deficit to win the match and start the season off with a victory for the second year in a row.
"It was awesome to get the win for the boys. We have got a solid hard-working pack and they showed that tonight.
"We knew if we kept grinding away it would come right. They made a couple of mistakes and we scored."
Ellison (28) set up the first try for the Highlanders, breaking the line and then passing to halfback Aaron Smith who went across.
Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph, who was instrumental in getting Ellison back from Japan, had high praise for his centre.
"He is a good player. For me he has been playing rugby for a whole season and our backline has been in disarray with regards to injuries. Tams [Ellison] was in Japan playing every week and, while he did not know our systems, modern technology allows us to fill him in," Joseph said.
"I have always rated him. He is a good rugby player and the players appreciate his abilities as a leader."
Joseph had high praise for the character of his players, especially early in the second half.
"There was a part there where we found ourselves in a little mental hole and I felt the team climbed out of there bloody well. It was a tough game. And when we got out of there I think we showed composure to keep the Chiefs out."
Joseph admitted the injury crisis, with nearly a third of the squad unavailable for the last pre-season match, may have tightened the squad mentally.
"It has been difficult for the players since we have had the injuries. But I think you could see from the World Cup that a bit of adversity can strengthen the resolve of a team and I guess ...
it made us a bit tougher."
First five-eighth Chris Noakes did not miss a shot at goal but left the field in the last 10 minutes with a nasty ankle injury and looks doubtful to play against the Crusaders this Saturday.
All games were close in the opening weekend, with no real blowouts.
The Crusaders beat the Blues 19-18, in Auckland, while the Brumbies downed the Force 19-17, in Canberra. The Reds scored a try on the hooter to defeat the Waratahs 25-21, in Sydney.
The Bulls beat the Sharks 18-13, in Pretoria, the Stormers overcame the Hurricanes 39-26, in Cape Town, and Elton Jantjies kicked a record nine penalties to lead the Lions to a 27-25 win over the Cheetahs.
