Ulster - 18 Stade Francaise - 10: Finally a peak in a season so full of troughs. Ulster maintained their three-year unbeaten European record at Ravenhill with a confidence-boosting win over the French champions which brings renewed hope of making the quarter-finals for the first time since 1999.
Now comes the challenge of maintaining this standard as the performance was rightly described by the coaching team of Mark McCall and Allen Clarke as the base level expected after so many false dawns.
A self-destructive Stade Francais contributed to their fourth defeat in four visits to the old ground, failing even to pick up a bonus point with outhalf David Skrela's injury-time penalty falling short.
Ulster's industrious number eight Roger Wilson was named man of the match but the architect of victory was, for the umpteenth time, David Humphreys.
Not only did he cross for the pivotal second try, add the conversion from the touchline and then nail a superb 45-metre drop goal, but he did it all while seemingly playing in pain. A doubt surrounded his availability beforehand after he damaged his big toe last week and a couple of minutes in he rose tenderly from contact in obvious pain.
Understandably, his kicking radar was off track but when it really mattered he revived memories of the last day he banished Stade, at the semi-final stage in 1999.
"I think it's important that this is not seen as a one-man show" said coach Mark McCall. "I think the forwards gave Humps the platform. We didn't really get much field position and we were really under the cosh for a time but it was different from last week because we were fearsome around the fringes. They weren't getting any easy ball."
In previous years, Ravenhill would have been packed to the rafters for this fixture. A mere 7,430 loyal souls turned up for the early Saturday kick-off, leaving the once guaranteed Ulster roar somewhat muted.
That is until four minutes after the hour mark when Humphreys, in the right-wing position, took Matt McCullough's pass at full tilt before dancing inside and going outside replacement winger Olivier Sarramea to cross at the corner flag.
His conversion made it 15-10 and five minutes later his gem of a drop allowed everyone to exhale. It even seemed like an extra 5,000 Ulstermen had suddenly turned up.
Stade folded like a bluffer on a table full of card sharks. Their body language, and positioning, said it all as referee Nigel Williams penalised them for being in front of Skrela from the restart to the try. An under-eights error from professional players.
McCall had a valid point when he deflected the plaudits from Humphreys as this was a performance from the belly, helped no doubt by a fire and brimstone pre-match talk from former international Dave Irwin and by choice snippets from last week's collapse in Paris.
Still, within two minutes, Ulster lost their throw, after getting the lineout call wrong, and Juan Hernandez punished them with a try after Skrela's grubber kick easily exposed the brittle defensive cover.
In fairness, that was the only blemish in a comprehensive defensive display.
Some good fortune came on 15 minutes as, while Humphreys was receiving treatment for his damaged foot, a Skrela penalty rebounded off the uprights into his path. He buried the pain, gathered and found a respectable touch, even by his standards.
Then another break. With Ulster pressing deep, Stade turned over possession and counter-attacked with Mirco Bergamasco racing clear after the loose ball but the end line came just in time.
Then some magic. Kieran Campbell had the cuteness to take a quick tap on half-way, two spurts of pace later, coupled with a cheeky feint and dummy, saw him breeze through two defenders before holding off Hernandez for the line. Humphreys missed the conversion but Ulster still led 8-7 at the break.
Stade came back out with the scent of blood in their nostrils but Skrela hit the post again from a penalty, while Bergamasco and Remy Martin were just held short of the line. The French went through the phases for the next three minutes but met stubborn resistance and had to be satisfied with a Skrela drop goal.
With the siege lifted it became like any other European day at Ravenhill as Ulster battered there way down field to give their perennial match-winner a chance to do what he does best.
With payback dished out to the French, Ulster's next bone to pick will be with Gloucester on the first weekend in January and that after the 50-point drumming they received at Kingsholm in October.
SCORING SEQUENCE: 2 mins: J Hernandez try, 0-5; D Skrela con, 0-7; 10 mins: D Humphreys pen, 3-7; 41 mins: K Campbell try, 8-7. Half-time: 8-7; 51 mins: Skrela drop goal, 8-10; 64 mins: Humphreys try, 13-10; Humphreys con, 15-10; 70 mins: Humphreys drop goal, 18-10.
ULSTER: B Cunningham; S Young, J Bell, K Maggs, T Bowe; D Humphreys, K Campbell; R McCormack, P Shields, R Moore; G Longwell, M McCullough; C Feather (capt), N Best, R Wilson. Replacements: P Steinmetz for S Young (27 mins, inj), A Larkin for Bell (46-56 mins), R Frost for Longwell (81 mins), B Young for McCormack (84 mins).
STADE FRANCAIS: J Hernandez; M Bergamasco, S Glas, B Liebenberg, P Poulain; D Skrela, A Pichot; R Roncero, M Blin (capt), P Leomine; O Brouzet, m James; P Rabadan, R Martin, S Sowerby. Replacements: O Sarramea for Poulain (half-time), D Auradou for James (58 mins), R Jechoux for Martin (58 mins), J Fillol for Pichot (63 mins), A Castola for Blin (78 mins, inj).
Referee: N Williams (WRU).
