LEICESTER v ULSTERFORMER LEICESTER favourite Ian Humphreys believes Ulster possess sufficient quality to make life tough for the Tigers in Saturday's Heineken Cup clash at Welford Road.

Ulster are on a roll in Europe, reaching the quarter-finals last season and opening their current campaign with a stirring victory over French heavyweights Clermont Auvergne.

And if they could topple Leicester, then it would put them in early charge of Pool Four prior to home and away appointments with Italian underdogs Aironi next month.

“It was four years ago that I was at Leicester, and a lot has happened since then,” Ulster outhalf Humphreys said. “I had a great time at Leicester, but I just want to get over there and get the win.

“We will be travelling to Welford Road full of confidence and thinking that we can win that game.

“Winning away in Europe is about breaking down mental barriers, and I think we have done that.

“We’ve beaten teams like Worcester and Harlequins in pre-season friendlies and beaten Bath in the Heineken Cup.

“We are not thinking ‘we will go and give it a crack, we might get close and maybe get a losing bonus point,’ we are now going over there thinking there is no reason why we can’t get the four points.”

Humphreys cited last season’s quarter-final loss to Northampton in Milton Keynes as a key factor behind Ulster’s upbeat mood. “We got to the quarter-finals last year and pushed Northampton hard away from home.”

Humphreys added: “But for a few mistakes, we could have won that game.

“It is now a matter of us believing it. We know we can be as good as anybody else, and we don’t go across fearing anybody anymore.

“The game against Clermont just proved how good our forwards are. The whole squad fronted up.

“We knew it was going to be a big, physical battle, but I don’t think we took a backward step anywhere on the field. That win will give us confidence going forward.”

Ulster have won their last nine Cup games on home soil in Belfast, and head coach Brian McLaughlin knows it is about taking that impressive form with them away from Ravenhill.

“We’ve got to keep our feet firmly on the ground,” McLaughlin said.

“If we want to get to where we want to go in this competition, we’ve got to turn up on Saturday and perform. There is no point turning in a display like that last Saturday and then taking our eye off the money next weekend. We’ve got to go to Welford Road and do the same again.”