Dan McFarland: Ulster coach says Harlequins 'strongest team' in Challenge Cup

England internationals Danny Care and Mike Brown are among Harlequins' star names

Ulster head coach Dan McFarland believes his team will be facing the strongest team in the Challenge Cup when they play Harlequins on Sunday.

McFarland says Quins are a club he admires but is excited at his players' opportunity to play knockout rugby after missing out on the Pro14 final.

The last-sixteen tie at Twickenham Stoop will be Ulster's first ever game in the Challenge Cup.

"It's a brilliant opportunity to play play-off rugby," said McFarland.

"The prize is a great fixture against Harlequins, who are probably the strongest team in the draw and who are really going to challenge us."

There were no play-offs in the Pro14 this season because of the pandemic and despite winning 14 out of 16 games, Ulster missed out on the final which was won by Leinster on Saturday.

Ulster to channel Pro14 disappointment

McFarland says his players will channel that disappointment in the correct way and hope to deliver big performances in Europe's secondary club competition and the Rainbow Cup before their season ends.

"It was pretty heartbreaking to watch the (Pro14) final at the weekend," admitted the head coach.

"It would have been nice to have had another play-off given the effort we put in and the wins we put in but it is what it is and we turn the page.

"We have two new competitions to look forward to.

"It's about relishing the fact we are playing with an opportunity to win, the same with the Rainbow Cup.

"We happen to be playing one of the best teams in the round of sixteen and winning the Challenge Cup would be an incredible feat.

"They are playing like they were when they were playing in the pomp and it's paying dividends for them. They are playing better than when we played them last year and I thought they were a good team last year."

Marcell Coetzee may have played his last Ulster game after picking up a hamstring injury

Coetzee ruled out for Ulster

Ulster beat Harlequins home and away in the pool stages of the 2019-2020 Champions Cup.

Although the English club have faced difficult league games in recent weeks against Exeter and Bristol, McFarland expects them to be fully loaded again this weekend and go with their strongest team.

"They've got good players across the board but you don't have to look much further than their half-backs, the experience of Danny Care, the undoubted talent of Marcus Smith.

"Mike Brown is now 35 but as far as I can see he's in the form of his life. Up front they have big ball carriers and their second row is unheralded but they get through a lot of work.

"In the backs, they may not be star names but a player like Andre Esterhuizen at 12 is a real force. There's real threats across their team and I expect to be seeing them all."

Marcell Coetzee misses out through injury and Billy Burns is a doubt, but Ulster are strengthened by the return of Ireland internationals Rob Herring, Jacob Stockdale and Iain Henderson.

"The Test players are back in and that always brings a lift," McFarland said.

"We have finished one tournament and start with a new one and it's European rugby.

"We don't get to play the English teams very often and that brings its own excitement."