Ulster's Tom Court tells JOHNNY WATTERSONwhy Ulster feel they have earned the right to respect in Clermont

THEY COULDN’T beat the supporters out of the ground last Friday night at Ravenhill. Singing, drinking, chanting – crushing Leicester was a leap of faith for Ulster. An “affirmation”, says Tom Court.

Where Munster have lost count of charged nights and comic-sized heroics Ulster are beginning to tap into the curious vein of Heineken Cup matches where the little guy is occasionally allowed cast a long shadow.

There is caution too in Court’s voice because they must do it again – and this time bigger. Ulster must break their bummed-out run of never having won an away match in France since they entered the competition in 1995-’96. Their closest shot at breaking that record was a 35-35 draw with Toulouse in 2000-’01.

This weekend they will travel with much bigger hearts and the persuasive power of the Leicester conquest. Now there is more reach in the team and while not entirely fearless, they are no longer fearful of Stade Marcel-Michelin. Ulster feel they have earned the right to believe in something more than faint hope in Clermont.

“No, we’ve never won there,” says Court, the austere reality dismissing need for further elaboration. “In previous seasons it was going over there with the hope that we could put in a decent performance, maybe come away with a win. But there’s more expectation that we are good enough, experienced enough that we can win over there.

“It’s a matter of covering all the bases so the boys don’t get caught out, that we do go over there and win away in France. Regardless of their home record, which they keep putting out there for everyone to hear, and which I think is part of the fear factor they like to dwell on, records are there to be broken. Our fate is in our own hands. Nobody else is going to get us there.”

Ulster’s creeping form has been incremental and without a really blinding shine until last week. A churlish point is that Leicester were poor, or rather, it was a poor Leicester team. Still, momentum and tries deliver pluck and self-possession. How Leicester turned up in Belfast is a case for, well, the Welford Road cognoscenti not David Humphreys or Brian McLaughlin.

“Any team can go away and hope they win, hope they get a few calls and the bounce of the ball,” says Court. “But the form Ulster has been in and the way we have been building, there should be an element of expectation and if there wasn’t you’d be very surprised.

“It’s one of those things that with the squad we’ve got, the players we’ve got and the way we’ve been playing, players should be going there with a slight expectation to be coming away with a win. That’s not arrogance, it’s just confidence in our ability.”

The ripple effect means Ulster are armed for this one. But there has always been something more insular and tight about the province. In the way Leinster and Munster look out and cast around for glamour and cameras to back up their prowess on the field and broaden their base, Ulster propriety and their years of pool struggles has shaped an image of being more prosaic than poetic.

Court feels there is something more there now. Humphreys’ astute selection of overseas players and his husbandry of emergent talent has given them poise and a can-do disposition.

“There’s definitely been a back bone and stability with the players,” says the Irish prop, who has Séamus Heaney works on his shelf. “We made successful recruitments, with David Humphreys targeting specific people, targeting leadership qualities and proven world-class players. Others born and bred in Ulster like Stevie (Ferris), like Rory (Best), like Andrew Trimble have matured and set standards for the younger guys. There is a framework for the younger players to fit into and look up to.

“Once we start clicking as a team then performances like that (Leicester) can happen.

“Munster and Leinster have been doing that for several years. We’ve had a lot of belief for a long time that we could get there. It’s been a matter of getting everything to finally start clicking. In the last few weeks it’s been starting to click. It’s one of those things where you’d like to be able to dwell on it for a while.”

Court understands dwelling is perishing and with every match there is context. Clermont recorded their biggest Heineken Cup mauling last week as 82-0 winners over Aironi. Hat-tricks from Sitiveni Sivivatu and Julien Malzieu, two tries from Lee Byrne and Alexandre Lapandry, seven conversions from Brock James and four from Morgan Parra decorated Stadio Brianteo.

“A number of Ulster players have hit form at the same time,” he explains.

Not unaware of the challenge, Court knows another leap of faith is needed.