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Dan McFarland hoping for continued Ulster ambition

Dan McFarland's Ulster sit in second place in Pool 4, four points behind Racing 92
Dan McFarland's Ulster sit in second place in Pool 4, four points behind Racing 92

Coming off the most satisfying win since taking over at Ulster, head coach Dan McFarland is eyeing back-to-back wins over Scarlets to boost their chances of progress in Europe.

In a tricky looking group, the Irish province kept pressure on unbeaten Racing 92 in Heineken Champions Cup Pool 4 with an impressive victory on the road last time out in Wales.

Jacob Stockdale, Henry Speight, Will Addison and Marcell Coetzee were among the tries at Parc y Scarlets in the narrow 25-24 victory.

Little wonder then that the former Connacht forwards coach claimed it was an "enjoyable" win before elaborating further.

"That was certainly been the best performance we have had since I have been here this season," he said.

"There were a number of times in games previously when we played really well both in attack and defence, but not as consistently as Friday night. That was very encouraging."

The attack in particular stood out.

Scrum-half John Cooney said the foundation for victory was set with a thorough and in-depth preparation for the European tie, and McFarland admits it was as clinical as he could hope for with ball in hand.

"I liked our ambition. We moved the ball a bit better. Our attack looked like it was clicking on a number of occasions, particularly in their 22.

"The onus is on us now is to understand the level that was at and to take it further."

Ulster v Scarlets on Friday (KO 7.45pm) is live on RTÉ Radio 1 Extra, with commentary from Michael Corcoran and Paddy Wallace

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