THE ODDS ARE massively stacked against Ulster for their Champions Cup opener at European champions Toulouse, but Stuart McCloskey is determined that the visitors will give it their best shot at Stade Ernest-Wallon on Sunday.

The 32-year-old Ireland centre has won in Toulouse before and admits to hugely enjoying the intimidating atmosphere created inside the stadium which he describes as a wall of noise to be embraced rather than feared.

“The crowd gets going and it feels like a wave against you at some stages,” says McCloskey, who won his 19th Ireland cap against Fiji in the Autumn Series.

“It’s just trying to ride those (waves) out until you get your chance to go again and (you must) stay in the fight as long as you can.”

In terms of dealing with Toulouse’s star-heavy squad, including Antoine Dupont, Thomas Ramos, Juan Cruz Mallia, Peato Mauvaka and many others, McCloskey stressed the need for he and his teammates to frustrate their opponents and not let them stretch away.

“I don’t think you can completely stop them; you can try to contain them,” he said of the current Top 14 leaders and league winners from last season when they secured a European and domestic double.

“They’ve broken down the best teams in the world, but I think for us (it’s about) staying in the fight and not letting them run away and score easy tries, making them work for every point they have, making them score tries on the edge and not let them go through the middle of us.

“(We need to) Put a lot of effort into making tackles, but also try to get a few turnovers and then hit them when we have chances as well.”

“You want to test yourself against the best,” he added.

Though McCloskey signed a contract extension in September which will keep him at Ulster until at least 2027, the powerful centre had been strongly linked with a move to a Top 14 club.

“As much as playing somewhere in France would have been nice, I don’t think I’d really care as much about it as I do here,” he said.

“I didn’t want to be that guy who’s just picking up a cheque,” he stated, before adding, “I really enjoy playing here and I really enjoy working hard to progress to a goal.

While that goal for us this year is probably making top eight rather than trying to win it like two or three years ago, I do think we can get back there, and we have the young talent here to go forward and do it.

“Whether that’s this year or in a few years, I don’t know, but I do think we have the talent to do it.”