After a third home win of the season against Emirates Lions, Ulster go into the fixture against Glasgow Warriors with a lot of confidence after a gritty display at Kingspan Stadium ensured the province's fourth win in five matches this season.
For now, the focus turns to the next challenge, a trip to the Scotstoun Stadium to face Franco Smith's in-form side, who sit a place above Ulster in the BKT URC table.
Ulster Defence Coach, Jonny Bell, told reporters at a press conference about his pride in the team closing out tight scores and how the start of the season has momentum building, with a crucial run of fixtures coming up.
On a tough win against Emirates Lions
"It was a match played in very difficult conditions, the ball was very greasy even before kick-off, it makes it challenging, especially when the weather came in .
We knew they would be a good side, they have lost a few games by the odd point or two, so they are a tough side. We showed a great deal of resilience and I’m proud of how the boys did. We have came the right side of a few tight games that will give us confidence going forward."
Building momentum
"We are pleased with where we are but you can’t rest on your laurels, we are facing a team who are second in the league and play a very expansive, open game of rugby.
They have won 21 out of 22 games at Scotstoun Stadium, so it will be a massive challenge. They are a team we know every well, they know us every well, and obviously I used to work there, so I’m excited to get over there."
Glasgow challenge
"We have had incredibly tight battles with Glasgow over the years and this Saturday we aren’t expecting anything different. They will feel the same, they see their stadium as their fortress so it’s about us going over there and putting in our best performance."
Glasgow threats
"They are hungry to win, a very well coached team who have some really talented players, many Scottish international players and they can challenge you from their own third.
Players like George Horne, if you switch off for a second, he will be gone. They are incredibly good in their system and are very mentally switched on, they are a challenge but our boys are excited by that and we want to challenge ourselves against the best."
On welcoming Steven Kitshoff into the group
"Steven has just integrated with the group and selection hasn’t been decided yet. Dan will make those calls in due course. Steven is excited and looking forward to getting to know the boys, he is a good person to add to the group.
It’s obviously been talked about for a long time but he is a humble, grounded guy and a double world cup winner. When you are a double world champion, you have to have a certain amount of gravitas when you speak and the way he carries himself too.
The boys are excited to get playing with him, picking his brains and these world class players like Duane Vermeulen and Ruan Pienaar come in with a desire to share their experiences and be a part of things, which is great for the team."
On squad rotation
"Dan (McFarland) has pushed it forward this year, young players bring a lot of energy with that. I think you can see that with the Connacht game, where a number of young players played.
You want to give them the opportunity to play with good players around them, up against good players and see what they have.
I’m pleased with that, we want to continue integrating and spreading the load over a long season. It’s a physically demanding game and its good to see those boys coming through."
After scoring his first try of the season against Emirates Lions, centre, James Hume, told media how he is feeling happy with how things are going in his game and how the team are looking forward to the taking on Glasgow on their patch.
On try against Lions and mindset
"I had some personal things to deal with off the pitch and felt a bit of pressure going into the game with how I handled things, I had a good carry to the right, a sweep with Jake and scored. The past couple of weeks of frustration and emotion all just came out in my celebration.
There is no better feeling running out, I relish it every time I go onto the pitch now. After talking to Craig Gilroy, we talked about when you retire, you will end up missing it so much. Every time I run out now, I want to soak it up. My role is different in the team, my mindset is different and I’m seeing it pay off.
I feel in a much better place than I have been. Dealing with stuff off the pitch, I feel I’m bringing that onto the pitch and bringing some of that emotion into it. I feel like I'm in a good place while dealing with it."
On Glasgow test
"They are a very good side, they have a very different attacking style with very dangerous backs. We learned that from the pre-season match we played against them in Cavan, but we are in a good moment, our attacking shape is sharp and our defence is constantly improving. We are gaining confidence with each week. This weekend is a challenge but an exciting one that we will take head on."
On welcoming Steven Kitshoff to the team
"It’s similar to when Duane Vermeulen and Marcell Coetzee came in, they bring a wealth of experience from different parts of the game.
To win two world cups and have that level of experience will be invaluable to the squad, I’m excited to learn off him and see how he carries himself in certain situations. We will thrive off that calmness and experience."
On tight wins
"We haven’t made it easy for ourselves but some of that is down to changing our style of play, we are getting used to that, building the confidence, new combinations but we review in meetings that our wins have all been one-score games and the difference has been in small moments during the game.
That has been testament to how we play for each other, things will go wrong in a game and its about how you react to it. So far, so good and we can widen those margins.
I feel these scores mentally toughen you up, they get you into the worse case scenarios."
Team mentality
"It’s pretty early in the season, so mentally staying there for 80 minutes and winning is such a cathartic feeling. You see the emotions come through, actually after the Vodacom Bulls game I started to cry but I didn't know why!
It's a feeling of digging deep with the player group I care about and love coming into work everyday, it's a class feeling and obviously we hadn't had that feeling since May, maybe that's why!"