Ulster re-start their season after the international break with three challenging away fixtures in the BKT United Rugby Championship. Round 14 sees the Ulster men make the short trip to the Scotstoun stadium to face Glasgow Warriors.
Ulster sit in third position in the URC table and flanker Jordi Murphy says that confidence in the squad means that they are looking upwards in the table.
"We are an ambitious side. Leinster \[in first place\] to be fair have a fair amount of points on everyone and we have three tough away games in a row. It’s potentially season defining but we’ll take it game by game."
Murphy says the Ulster squad have been well-briefed in preparation for the challenge that faces them in Scotland, calling the side "formidable".
"They are strong at home, so it's a really important game for us so we want to go there and get a result. Then we have to try to back that up by going to South Africa to play Cell C Sharks, so there are no easy games in this league."
Murphy says that the international break gave those who weren’t involved with their countries a chance to recharge after an intense winter period.
On the break in the schedule, Murphy said "It was about taking a bit of time to yourself. The previous 10 or so weeks had been pretty intense. It was a game every weekend and even if you weren’t playing it was full training. The staff are great at managing and maximising your work-load, especially on game-weeks when you’re not involved so I took a bit of time to myself and came back to training all firing."
When looking at the upcoming period of games, Murphy is itching to keep making an impression and break into Ulster's starting XV after making a few appearances from the Ulster bench. The Barcelona born man has experienced some trouble with injuries during his Ulster career but he's feeling fit and firing ahead of a crucial stage of the season.
"One of my goals at the start of the year was to be fit, injuries are just part of the game, I just want to make sure I'm as fit as possible. I feel good, and can hopefully continue to not pick up anything, so I'm happy with where I am right now."
Murphy is returning to a ground where he has good memories. He made his first senior appearance in rugby for former club Leinster against Glasgow Warriors in 2011.
"That was a long old time now! I have had some pretty good results against Glasgow in the past. They have always been a tough side but if I get to play them again I'd love to try and back it up and get a score."
Murphy says another aim for the Ulster squad is to build up momentum ahead of a huge Round of 16 match against his old club Leinster at the Aviva Stadium in the Heineken Champions Cup.
"It's going to be a huge test, there's no hiding away from that. We have gone toe-to-toe with them for the last couple of seasons. It's knock-out rugby, anything can happen, and I back what we have, the belief in the squad will be strong going into that week. There is no bigger test but you wouldn’t want it any other way."