Magners League champions Ulster rugby turned on the style to score three first half tries and stun Toulouse at Ravenhill.

The Ulstermen made the best possible start when flanker Neil Best took a ball off the top of the line-out and their backs tore through the defence for Ireland wing Andrew Trimble to touch down out wide after just two minutes.

Fly-half David Humphreys slotted the conversion and landed two penalties to take the home side out to 13-0 just after 10 minutes.

In reply, Toulouse scrum-half Valentin Courrent kicked a penalty before Ulster’s scrum-half sold a dummy in midfield and carved up the guests defence for the try.

Humphreys landed the conversion and then provided a neat ball back inside for Trimble who beat the cover defence to make it 27-3 at half-time.

Toulouse centre Yannick Jauzion earned a yellow card for lashing out and Humphreys slotted the penalty to make it 30-3 at half-time.

The French stepped up their game after the break and tempers started to fray with neither side making much headway as the two packs slogged it out.

Toulouse put some pressure on the Ulster defence, but the Frenchmen were back down to 14 men when their captain Fabien Pelous was yellow-carded for coming in from the side.

The guests kept up the pressure on the Ulster line with a sustained effort and the defence finally buckled when prop Justin Fitzpatrick was sin-binned for killing the ball temporarily putting the hosts down to 14 men.

But despite their best efforts, Toulouse just could not break down the home defence and Ulster could not breach the Toulouse defence for a fourth occasion and the valuable bonus point.