Wednesday 10 January 2018 16:02, UK
Ulster's back-to-back wins over Harlequins in December put them right back into the Champions Cup mix, and this weekend "every moment matters" according to their captain Rory Best.
On Saturday afternoon, every ounce of Best's leadership qualities will be needed when Top 14 high-flyers and Pool 1 leaders, La Rochelle, arrive in Belfast, live on Sky Sports Action.
Ulster are going into this definitive European clash off the back of one inter-provincial victory and two heavy defeats, including last weekend's 38-7 loss to Leinster at the RDS Arena.
It was a game in which the province found themselves second-best in a number of areas and it was a performance that hurt their returning captain.
"I think Saturday was probably hard to put into words how frustrating it was, it was heart-breaking," said Best.
"We've lost down at The RDS before and it is a really, really tough place to go but I think the manner of the defeat was really hard to take.
"We can't just forget about it, we need to learn something from it. There's no point having a reaction today in training or yesterday, or on Thursday. It's ultimately about Saturday."
The challenge facing Best and his side is a significant one. When Ulster and La Rochelle met in Round 2, the 80 minutes ended with Ulster on the receiving end of their heaviest defeat in Europe since the 2014/15 season.
La Rochelle have scored 127 points in their first four Champions Cup matches and boast the best goal-kicking success rate of any side in the competition this season - 92 per cent.
From Levani Botia and Victor Vito to Geoffrey Doumayrou and Vincent Rattez, Europe's debutantes have strike-runners all over the pitch.
When it comes to the home side's approach, Best is clear about the plan of action and what it will take to ensure that they come out of this decisive round with a performance - and a result.
"We've got to try to get something from our defence, we've got to trust each other more and probably more importantly we've got to help each other more," he said.
"For us it's about making sure that we dictate things and that we don't stand and wait to see what they do, how much they offload or how much their big carriers get into the game.
"We have to go in and we have to test where they are. We've got to shock them with how tough it's going to be to come to Belfast and win."
During Ulster's first two home Champions Cup games - opening night against Wasps and Round 4 against Harlequins - Les Kiss' side navigated their way to two solid victories.
At the heart of their European campaign has been Christian Lealiifano and on Saturday the fly-half will be making his final home appearance for the province.
Lealiifano's partnership with John Cooney formed quickly and ahead of this final home game, Best hailed one of the "really good guys" and believes the Australia international will "want to leave Ulster in a better place than when he arrived".
If Ulster are to rise to the occasion this weekend, the role of their fly-half will be just as pivotal as that of their captain.
"You're getting to these big games and they've got to realise that every moment matters," Best added. "We're in a strong position if we seize the opportunity.
"If you win one moment then it's now gone and you have to win the next one. If you lose one moment that's now gone and we've got the win the next one."
For Best's Ulster, this week's challenge is to finish Saturday's match with the ultimate feeling in rugby.
"When you walk into the changing room downstairs and everyone is absolutely shattered because they have given everything and you've produced one of those special performances. That's what we need to get back to and that's the feeling that we need to get.
"Ultimately that's why you play, you don't play to run up and down hills, you play for that moment straight after the final whistle and you've nothing left to give."
Watch Ulster v La Rochelle live on Sky Sports Action from 12:30pm on Saturday afternoon.
