Aironi's Simone Favaro fends off Ulster's Stephen Ferris © Getty Images

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Matches: Ulster 31 - 10 Aironi

Tournaments/Tours: Heineken Cup

Teams: Aironi | Ireland | Italy | Ulster

Ulster coach Brian McLaughlin was delighted with his side's 31-10 thumping of Aironi that brought them their first try-scoring bonus point of the season.

The Irish province's five-try haul lifted them above Leicester into pole position in Pool 4 - ahead of the Tigers' clash with Clermont on Saturday - and kept their hopes of European qualification on track. However, warned his side that they will have to do even better next Saturday in Aironi if they are to emerge with another required try bonus.

"We've got the five points and we're exceptionally happy with that," McLaughlin said. "We know we can do better and we know we are capable of better and next week we'll have to do it all again. We've got to look at those tries we scored, especially in the first half, at the way we moved the ball and we've got to do that time and time and time again next week.

"In the second half we took our chances well and got the bonus point we needed but next week it's a whole new ball game and it's only at half-time. Last year they beat Biarritz and they're more than capable of producing a big game so it will be extremely tough over there and, if we're not on the money, Aironi are more than capable of turning us over so we have to go and do a job."

Try-scorer Adam D'Arcy also lauded Ulster's efforts, but warned that much more will be required in northern Italy to keep his side on track. "We're only half way there which is another task and it's going to be very difficult," he said. "We converted a lot of our opportunities, but we're still not converting all of them so it was a case of job done but a lot of work needs to be done to get five points next week.

"They will be extremely difficult to play over there, and we've seen it can be extremely tight so we've got to start well and not just expect to go over there and put points on them."

D'Arcy was joined on the scoresheet by Andrew Trimble, Stephen Ferris, Paul Marshall and Paddy Jackson.