The talismanic flanker doesn't doubt his side face a huge challenge in France, but he feels this Ulster team are different, he tells GERRY THORNLEY

THE TREMORS from Ulster’s stunning 41-7 win over Leicester will reverberate through to this weekend’s final round of pool games, but to an extent it is Ulster themselves who have to park that victory and move on. Superb all-round performance and cracking night though it was, it will count for nothing if they don’t qualify for the quarter-finals.

“We kind of showed the rest of Europe and world rugby that Ulster have taken a couple of steps forward in the last two years with that big performance against Leicester last Friday,” says Stephen Ferris. “But we will need to play that well and more. The same again probably won’t be good enough.”

Even in the immediate aftermath of the win over Leicester, Ulster’s mindset was they would have to end Clermont’s 36-match winning streak at the Stade Marcel-Michelin tomorrow.

A win tonight for either Eric Elwood’s men over Harlequins or Gloucester over Harlequins would ensure Ulster’s presence in the last eight as one of the best runners-up. No disrespect to either Connacht, or Gloucester for that matter, but Ulster cannot expect any favours.

“Having reached the quarter-finals last season for the first time after 10 years of failing to qualify from our group, to an extent we were just happy to be there,” explains Ferris. “But now, having been there, we desperately want to be there again.

“It would be nice if Connacht did win and we knew we were in the quarter-finals, but even then we want to get a home quarter-final and to do that we’ll have to win in Clermont. That is in our own hands.”

There’s probably no tougher place to win on the road in Europe than Stade Marcel-Michelin, where Leinster obtained a bonus point last season, but Ferris is typically bullish.

“I was talking to Seán O’Brien and he was saying it’s a bloody tough place to go to. But we feel we have a bit of momentum. We’re at the top of our game at the minute and everybody seems to be playing really, really well.

“Records are made to be broken. We’re full of confidence and why shouldn’t we be? We’re playing some good stuff.”

Ferris agrees that last week’s win was the most complete Ulster performance he’s been part of, and compares it with the failure to press on for a bonus point in the 30-3 win over Toulouse five seasons ago to show how, a la Leinster and Munster, Ulster have developed a more ruthless streak.

That said, he also reveals that even in the post-match home dressingroom “we felt that every single player could give an extra five or 10 per cent.”

The improved self-confidence is in large part down to the influx of high class recruits. “When you’re bringing World Cup winners into your team it’s definitely going to have an impact. You look at the likes of John Afoa, who’s just come in. Our scrum was rock solid. It’s not too often you push Leicester around on their own ball. John has a serious amount of skill and it seems to be rubbing off on everybody else.

“We’ve got a blend of young talent coming in as well, like Craig Gilroy on the wing and Nevin Spence coming in this weekend. But there’s no doubt that the foreigners definitely add to Ulster and David Humphreys is doing a great job to get that calibre of player in.”

Ulster themselves have never won in 13 attempts on French soil, but Ferris points out that Ulster ended a similar drought in England two seasons ago by beating Bath, backing it up against the same opponents last season, and recorded a first away win in Llanelli last season and two weeks ago won 42-20 in Edinburgh.

“I think in the past there hasn’t been the same quality of players in the Ulster team to go over there and try and get a win, and the way we’re talking all week, when you look at our team sheet, the opposition are bound to think ‘that’s a quality team we’re up against here’. We’ve definitely got the quality of players to do it.”

Clermont underlined their potency with that 12-try haul away to Aironi and Ferris notes the quality of their backline.

“I think 90 per cent of their tries were with their backs. Lee Byrne at fullback runs some very good lines and they’re a very intelligent team. We’re not sure who they’re going to play at number 10 but you’d presume they’ll have a lot more ball than Leicester did last weekend and our defence needs to be top drawer.”

“We’re going to work really hard for each other and when we get the ball we need to be clinical. If there are any three-points to be kicked, they have to be kicked over. That’s what you have to do away from home.”

Having been obliged to watch last year’s quarter-final from the stands because of a knee injury, this is the biggest Ulster game Ferris has ever played.

“For me it definitely is. Everybody is very excited about it. From the first minute you’d expect us to get torn into them because everyone is chomping at the bit to get on to that field and to try and get that win.”