Steven Kitshoff impact on Ulster 'collective' key for Roddy Grant

​After one win from three pool games, Ulster travel to Harlequins needing a victory on Saturday to reach the last 16 of the competition.

A defeat without any match points would mean the winner of the Racing 92 against Cardiff clash would leapfrog the Kingspan Stadium club into fourth place.

Kitshoff helped South Africa beat the All Blacks to lift his second William Webb Ellis trophy in October and fronted up well in a losing cause against Toulouse on Saturday night.

“With big players in a team there is a lot that goes into their value, obviously how they play and the last couple of weeks I think he has certainly been playing really well,” said Ulster coach Grant. “Within that, leadership comes off the back of it and his experience of playing in big games...that is definitely a factor both for him and the group as a collective looking around.

“It was the same with Duane (Vermeulen) when he was here, guys that have won a World Cup...for everyone involved - coaches, players – having those guys in your group certainly is a help.

“Steven is leading well, he has got a good presence and you have seen it with other teams, you need good players not just on the pitch.

"Presence goes a long way in these big games.”

Ulster missed 18 tackles as Toulouse ran in seven tries on Saturday night, had only a 75-per-cent success rate on their own scrum and 83 per cent on their own lineout throw, while conceding 11 turnovers.

Grant knows Ulster are in for another huge battle at the Stoop against high-flying Quins.

““It’s going to be a big battlefield at the breakdown, they do it really well,” he said. “Will Evans is top of the Prem for jackal turnovers, Alex Dombrandt is second I think and James Chisholm, the other back rower, is in fourth.

“Individually, they get a lot of turnovers and cause a lot of trouble at the breakdown and as a team it suits their attack and counter-attack.

“If you can look after that there should be space with that so the big focus for us is on getting that (the breakdown) right and not getting too panicked knowing that they might nick a couple, as they do it every game against all teams.

"But it will be big focus for us this week. I see it a lot in the leagues now from where rugby was 10 years ago there were big, physical players.

"It certainly seems the trend now that they are big and physical but really good at rugby.

“That’s the physicality of the nowadays and the last couple of seasons.

“How to you go about that? You either have those players in your squad and if you don’t you’ve got to be technically really proficient, the right attitude and I suppose game plan or strategy to go against that.

“There are ways around it, but against those teams who play well and use that size really well the margin for error is less...so, you have to be really on it both emotionally and technically.”