MARCELL Coetzee says Ulster must get their basics right if they are to have a chance of getting their European Champions Cup campaign off the the winning start they need when they take on in-form Leicester Tigers tomorrow night at Kingspan Stadium.
Ulster have an unblemished home record against the English Premiership side in Europe, having won all five previous games in Belfast but that statistic will have no bearing on the latest instalment.
Instead, it's Leicester who will go into the game as slight favourites after back-to-back domestic wins which have seen them move from potential relegation candidates to possible play-off contenders.
In contrast, Ulster have slumped to consecutive PRO14 defeats, following a record 64-7 reverse against Munster and a 22-15 loss to Connacht who ended a 58-year Belfast win-less run last week.
Coetzee also admits that Ulster's discipline needs to improve following a raft of yellow cards this season, two of them being handed to himself, including one in the defeat to Connacht.
To add to an already difficult task against Connacht, the team lost the South African's back-row partner Matty Rea to a red card 10 seconds into the second half and he has receieved a four-week ban for the offence
"Our discipline let us down a lot, me included, I didn't make it easy on the team with that yellow card, and then the red card occurred as well, and other little discipline factors as well," said Coetzee.
"We have to sort out our discipline and we also need to make better use of the possession and territory we get against Leicester and that's an area that has also let us down both this season and last.
"We'd do so well in building up and then a simple mistake, a pass not sticking or a knock on, simple stuff, basics.
"I think that's the biggest thing; going down to basics, knowing your role, doing your job and just doing that as consistent as you can.
"And then the territory factor, we want to get our hands on the ball and I think it comes down to our defence as well.
"If we're not attacking, we want to do everything we can to get the ball back, so we want to hold onto the ball and create a bit of magic."
Coetzee believes Ulster, under new head coach Dan McFarland, have the players to produce the magic they will surely need if they are to maintain that impressive record against Leicester tomorrow night.
"We want to play a high-tempo game and I think that will suit the team's attributes," added the 26-year-old.
"We have a lot of fast boys and if we give them quick ball then they'll do their magic and we have very mobile forwards who can move, so that's definitely a strength as well."
Coetzee says he is looking forward to his European Champions Cup debut, having missed the last two campaigns due to injury.
"We are looking at it as a new tournament, a fresh start," he said.
"I think the whole mindset around the squad and everyone in the camp is an excitement, a buzz to get out there.
"Luckily, it's at home as well so the crowd will be behind us and we can feed off that energy. I can tell you the guys are definitely looking forward to it."
