Ulster know the only way to beat Leinster is with a full-court press, according to head coach Dan McFarland, who has compared Saturday's Champions Cup opponents with Grand Slam winners Ireland.

Leo Cullen’s squad makes up much of the Irish side that won the Guinness Six Nations and it’s a problem that the Ulster boss is acutely aware of.

The Belfast-based team suffered two frustrating losses to Leinster this season in the BKT United Rugby Championship but have also two notches on their belt in the form of a double over Leinster last season.

"You can't rely on trying to shut them down, it's too single faceted," the former Connacht prop said ahead of Saturday’s Aviva Stadium clash when asked the secret to beating the four-time European champs.

"If you're not able to put pressure on them in multiple ways, it doesn't have to be in every way, but in a number of ways, they are going to find an answer.

"Without wanting to link Ireland and Leinster, when you look at the Ireland-England game, England found a way to put pressure on them in one way with crazy linespeed but Ireland, the country, is so full of quality players that they'll find an answer to that somehow during the game.

"It's the same with Leinster. If we chose one way to stop them, it's not going to do it.

"We have to find a way to create momentum for ourselves off the back of any good defence that we have by being good in attack. It gives them something else to think about.

"How easy is that? Well, it happens their defence is the best in the league as well. You've got to be smart.

"There have been teams that have been able to put them under pressure but not many teams have.

Ulster beat Leinster home and away in the 2021/22 season

"Leinster's heartbeat is their gainline and their lightning quick ball. If you let them have that, or if they're able to impose that, then you're going to struggle in the game. That's the bottom line, it's not rocket science.

"We've managed to slow it down in past games but you have to do it consistently. They are going to score tries against you.

"They'll score tries against anyone. You have to put yourself in a position where you can score tries as well.

"The territory game is really important, they're smart, they've a really good kicking game, kick-chase game. They're very much an error-free team at the back.

"The pressure that comes from the territory game and your ability to create your own gainline and slow down their ball, it starts and stops with that."

McFarland was reluctant to make much of winger Jacob Stockdale’s resurgence but was happy to see a return to form for the best player and top try-scorer in the 2018 Six Nations, who marked his comeback from two ankle injuries with a trademark score, his first try in two years, against Cardiff earlier this month.

"The chip and chase against Cardiff, running back on counter-attack, beating the first defender, he's physical, he's quick," said the Englishman, whose side booked a home URC quarter-final by winning their last three league games.

"We all know he's got a big boot as well.

"Jacob is getting on with his job. There is a lot to that disruption around injury and things that are difficult.

"I personally don't want to overplay the fact that he may have had a dip in form when there was context around it.

"Focus on the things that you're good at and look at the things you need to improve on.

"He's a top-class player and I've every confidence that that trajectory is going up."

Unbeaten Leinster are 15-point favourites to progress to a quarter-final against the winner of Leicester and Edinburgh but Ireland and Ulster lock Kieran Treadwell, who scored a try against Saturday's opponents in their quarter-final defeat in 2019, says the squad don't see themselves as underdogs.

"I don't know if it’s an upset [if we win], just that we always back ourselves," said Treadwell, whose team lost to La Rochelle (twice) and Sale in the pool stages.

"We've definitely got the team and performance in us to do it, I don’t know if it’s an upset. I’m confident going into the weekend.

"It's always a massive occasion playing against Leinster and having a sort of interpro within the European last 16, it’s massive.

"You can take little bits and bobs from [our defeats this season] but again, it’s about moving forward and not looking back too far. It’s about building on performance week on week and last week was a foot in the right direction."

Watch Leinster v Ulster on Saturday from 4.30pm live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to live commentary on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday Sport.