A RETURN to French soil is the destination for Ulster on Saturday when they face Clermont in the Stade Marcel-Michelin for a place in the semi-finals of the EPCR Challenge Cup (12.30pm Irish time, live on Viaplay Sports).

They got there thanks to a storming second half performance in Montpellier last Saturday when they turned a 17-7 half-time deficit into a 40-17 win.

A red card for the hosts did help Ulster's cause with a further pair of yellows also seeing them take full advantage and romp into the last eight.

Clermont had it a little tighter at the weekend as they edged out the Toyota Cheetahs on their home patch, 27-22, with the tries coming from Joris Jurand, Bautista Delguy and Etienne Fourcade crossing in the first half, while Baptiste Jauneau touched down in the second period.

It sets up an intriguing quarter-final this weekend as Richie Murphy's men seek to push on and give themselves a shot at silverware in European rugby's secondary competition.

"We are happy to be there," he said after last week's win.

"We weren’t at our best today and that was a bit disappointing, although we showed a bit of good character in the second half to try and get back into the game. 

"Some of that was helped by a red card and a couple of yellows, but when that did happen, we put together a number of good phases to see the game out which was pleasing, but we have a lot of work to do."

Ulster's last trip to the Stade Marcel-Michelin was a happy one as they claimed victory there for the first time.

That occurred in a 2021 Champions Cup pool game when John Cooney was dead-eyed with the boot, so the venue won't hold the same fears as days gone by.

Still, it is a difficult place to win and although Clermont may not be the force they have been in the not too distant past when they were reaching Champions Cup finals, they still have plenty of quality including flanker

Pita Gus Sowakula who was once capped by the All Blacks, while the speed of Argentine winger Bautista Delguy has the potential to cause problems.

Nothing can or will be taken for granted from an Ulster perspective and Murray is eyeing it as a big chance for his team to take a step forward.

"Clermont got ahead of the Cheetahs but it became a tight affair," the interim head coach acknowledged.

"We’ll dust ourselves down, review hard and get a good feeling ahead of a quarter-final in Europe. It’s a great opportunity to get into the latter stages."