Ulster coach Alan Solomons said his team could hold their heads high in Europe - even if they do not qualify for the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup.

Solomons' side kept their slim hopes of making the last eight alive with a 59-3 rout of Italian club Benetton Treviso at Ravenhill on Friday night.

Ulster ran in eight tries, which greatly improved their try-count, but the Irish province still require several results to go their way if they are to qualify as one of two best-placed runners-up.

Solomons said that whatever the outcome, the 1999 champions had restored their pride after two woeful seasons.

"We can hold our heads high again," said Solomons. "We have won four out of six games, which might not be enough, but we have been competitive in Europe again.

"We have made massive improvements this season and if we don't qualify those are the positives we have to focus on."

After a sloppy opening, Ulster floored the Italian club with a burst of six tries in 20-minutes, but squandered further try-scoring opportunities that could have improved their qualification hopes.

Solomons was pleased with the overall performance, however. He added: "It would be churlish not to be happy with the side.

"In the first half we looked a bit frenetic, we lacked a bit of composure at times and we made a number of unforced errors.

"Before the game, we stressed the need to win the game first and if we did all the right things then the other stuff would happen.

"Scoring two tries just before half-time put us clear and allowed us to open up after the break.

"Now we must wait and see how the other results pan out."