Ulster v Racing 92: Alan O'Connor sees improving Ulster up for French test

The top two sides in Pool Four go head-to-head in a pivotal game in Belfast on Saturday.

Racing, beaten finalists to Leinster last season, remain unbeaten after four games and are currently five points ahead of Dan McFarland’s Ulster.

It is a straight hit-out between the two sides at the top, Ulster eight points clear of third placed Leicester Tigers, who they go to in their final game on Saturday week.

Few will back against a Racing success in Belfast even if they are coming to a different sort of venue to their indoor arena in the French capital.

But turn the clock back a year ago, Ulster went into their penultimate game in their pool and facing pool leaders, La Rochelle.

Ulster won 20-13, went top of the table, but flopped at Wasps the following weekend and ended up third in the pool.

Few would have given Ulster a chance to be in the position they are currently, but the back-to-back performances against Scarlets which yielded 10 match points generated faith and belief once again.

And even with losing their last two games in the Guinness PRO14 and slumped from second to fifth place in Conference B, a near full strength Ulster could leave the French side with an anxious final week when they entertain Scarlets.

And O’Connor believes Ulster can upset the French visitors in front of what could well be a full Kingspan Stadium.

“I thought we were real good for the first half hour in that game,” recalled O’Connor.

“Then a big of magic from Simon Zebo and Finn Russell going back and forward to each other and the game got away from us.

“We did a lot of good in that game and we’re looking forward to bringing a lot of good to Kingspan this weekend.”

O’Connor said the squad had put themselves in a good position in the pool and they needed to put in big displays in the next two games.

“The goal is to reach the quarter-finals. You don’t enter a competition not to get through to the next round, and that’s our aim to reach the quarter-finals.

“Whether that be Europe or the PRO14, that’s what we’re always aspiring to and hopefully we can do that now,” added O’Connor.

The second row returned from injury last week for the trip to Leinster when an experimental Ulster side were beaten 40-7.

He is expected to start again with on-loan Leinster lock Ian Nagle the most likely to join him in the engine room, given his performances in the win over Munster and loss to Connacht.

Nagle has declared the Irish province are up for the major challenge that Racing 92 will pose.

The 30-year-old forward told Ulster Rugby TV: “I’ve played here a few times, but it’s always been as the opposition and when you hear the crowd, it really brings you on.

“So, I’d expect the same, if not more, against Racing now and I know the players really feed off that. They have a lot of threats across the park. They are a powerful team and very expansive.

“They can create tries out of nothing and I think it’s a real challenge for us defensively. It’ll be a good physical challenge as well to try and front up with some of the big players that they have.

“We are in a great position and it’s just up to us now to take advantage of the place we have put ourselves in to this point,” he added.