Ulster coach Matt Williams is refusing to accept his side’s Heineken Cup hopes are already dashed.

No side in the 14-year history of the competition has ever reached the knock-out stages after losing their first two pool games.

But with Ulster aiming to break their Pool Four duck against the Scarlets at Ravenhill on Friday after defeats to Stade Francais and Harlequins, Williams claims his side are still alive and kicking.

“We are still in the competition,” he said. “We have to win all four (remaining games). We are playing every team in the pool and if any one of them slip up, which is a strong chance with Stade at Quins, and we win our next two games, we are in it.

“But that will mean nothing if we don’t win at home. But even if we were out of it, which we are not, the attitude wouldn’t change.

“We would still go flat out at Ravenhill. We have worked too bloody hard and been through too much pain and come together so far to come out at Ravenhill and just say ‘it doesn’t matter.’ That’s just not going to happen.”

Meanwhile, the credit crunch has not prevented the Northern Bank from extending its sponsorship of the Ulster Schools’ Cup for another three years. The prestigious competition, which was won by Methodist College last season, is the second oldest rugby tournament in the British Isles.

“We are delighted that Northern Bank has extended its sponsorship of Schools rugby for a further three years,” said John Wilson, Ulster Schools’ Committee chairman. “The past three years have seen the profile of Schools rugby reach levels not seen previously in Ulster.”