‘It gives us massive confidence to go to a big French team like Clermont and win,’ says Ulster ace John Cooney

While the side enjoyed notable away wins over the likes of Montpellier and Toulouse after breaking their lengthy duck in France against Castres in 2013, their victory over Oyonnax three seasons later would be the last they would enjoy in the country for almost six years.

That barren spell ended in eye-catching fashion with victory over Clermont at the fearsome Stade Marcel Michelin back in December and it’s no surprise that statement victory has been used as a reference point as Cooney and co prepare for their last-16 clash against the Champions Cup holders Toulouse in their own backyard this afternoon.

“I rewatched that game (on Tuesday) morning,” said the side’s star scrum-half, who was gaining admiring glances from France himself earlier in the season before extending his Ulster contract. “We had a bit of a later start for training so I watched it over breakfast.

“We played really well that day, the way we moved the ball, used our speed out wide to squeeze them, and then stuck in it the last 20 minutes.

“I think it can give us massive confidence to go to a big French team like Clermont, who are very similar to Toulouse, and come away with a win which is something we haven’t done in years gone by.

“I think that was probably our best performance this season. If we can emulate that in some way this weekend, it will go a long way.”

Toulouse differ from Clermont in at least one respect, of course – the small matter of having the reigning Six Nations and World Player of the Year.

Antoine Dupont, the heartbeat of the French side that just delivered the long-awaited Grand Slam, is a rarity in the rugby world – a bona fide superstar.

A player who can tilt the balance of a game with one moment of inspiration, Cooney is aware of the attention that will be directed towards his opposite number.

“I think with these European games in general your preparation is that little bit more than usual (anyway), I probably think about the game a bit more in my free time as well so it’s only natural that I’m thinking about the player that’s going to be across from me,” he said.

“I’ve obviously watched him a lot through the Six Nations and watched their game at the weekend (against Castres). I’ve locked horns now with Dupont a couple of times. He’s an incredible player and I’ll look forward to facing him again.

“He’s playing unbelievable at the moment. He doesn’t have too many weaknesses. His defensive game, he probably doesn’t get the plaudits for that, that he should because his attacking game is so good, but even his kicking game, he kicks the ball a long way.

“We all know what he can do, how he can pull things out of nothing. I’m sure I’ll be concentrating that bit more on what I can do to impact our team but still trying to negate him in whatever way I can.

“As a nine, we’re mostly defending on the edge so for me it’s trying to follow him if he’s running trail lines and trying to get back and support my team and trying and stop him that way.”

The danger with a side like Toulouse, naturally, is that if you devote too much attention to one star attraction, you can be hurt by another.

While Springbok World Cup winner Cheslin Kolbe has moved on to Toulon after doing such damage to Ulster in the pair of games between these sides in 2020, the backbone of this side remains made up of those who so dominated the Six Nations just gone with the likes of Romain Ntamack and Francois Cros back in harness too after their exertions in blue these past months.

The side’s form domestically, largely it should be said without their sizeable international contingent, has been curiously patchy this year and they reached this point in Europe by winning only one game after Covid-19 and associated travel complications saw two of their four scheduled pool fixtures cancelled.

However, with such talent laced through the side, Ulster will know how quickly they can rack up a score akin to the 36 they put on their visitors when this fixture was last played in France.

With the competition adopting a two-legged knockout round for the first time, such an outcome would be a death knell for the tie despite the end of today’s game really only representing ‘half-time’ of the meeting.

“If we can contain him a bit more than other teams have done then that’ll go a long way,” concluded Cooney of Dupont.

“We have to defend him as best we can but if we concentrate too much on that then we’ll leave space elsewhere. We just have to do what we usually do, stay within our systems.

“I think (Toulouse) are very similar to the South African teams that we’ve just played. You can’t kick loosely, you have to be able to use your kicking game to either get the ball back or squeeze them.

“It’s very similar against French teams. Obviously they’ve a good back three and a combative back three and a massive pack. So those games in South Africa are good prep. We know we have to compete first and foremost in the pack and try and deliver whatever ball we can to our backs off the back of that.”

Toulouse – T Ramos; J Cruz Mallía, Z Holmes, P Ahki, M Lebel; R Ntamack, A Dupont (capt); R Neti, P Mauvaka, D Aldegheri; R Arnold, E Meafou; R Elstadt, T Flament, F Cros. Reps: G Cramont, C Baille, C Faumuina, R Arnold, A Jelonch, A Placines, M Page Relo, S Guitoune.

Ulster – M Lowry; R Baloucoune, J Hume, S McCloskey, B Moxham; B Burns, J Cooney; E O’Sullivan, R Herring, M Moore; A O’Connor, I Henderson (Capt.); M Rea, N Timoney, D Vermeulen. Reps: B Roberts, A Warwick, T O’Toole, K Treadwell, J Murphy, N Doak, L Marshall, R Lyttle.

Ref – W Barnes (RFU)