"There was a litany of things that were difficult to deal with," McFarland said. "I'm so proud of the lads and what they've done. That's really a victory we should be proud of.

"The last time we came here, we played really well in the first half and then the game slipped away from us in that just before half-time, just after-half-time period.

"Good teams are able to squeeze you at that period if they're a little behind. They did squeeze us just before half-time in that third quarter. We got a number of things wrong, like our smart kicking game. It wasn't as effective as it was in the first half.

"We allowed them to break out on a number of occasions and brought pressure back onto ourselves, but ultimately we were able to get back into the game with some really good play and some huge individual plays as well."

Ulster assistant coach Dan Soper was full of praise for try-scorer Stuart McCloskey and his centre partner, James Hume, who both put in exceptional displays at Stade Marcel-Michelin.

"Stuart is in magnificent form and James is really coming out of himself, and showing that his potential is not potential any more, but it is actually performance,” Soper commented.

"The two of them are in great form. They complement each other well and have a really nice understanding with each other. It is nice for me to have those two guys working so well."

Ulster welcome Northampton Saints to Kingspan Stadium in Round 2 on Friday.

Ulster Rugby head coach Dan McFarland took great satisfaction from his side’s bruising 29-23 win at ASM Clermont Auvergne in Round 1 of the Heineken Champions Cup last Saturday.