A try from Robin Copeland and the boot of Gareth Davies opened up a 22-5 lead at the break for the Blues at Arms Park.
Ulster came back and closed the gap to two points with less than five minutes to go, but the Blues held their nerve to secure a thrilling 28-23 win - thanks mainly to Davies who finished with 23 points.
"That performance was the opposite of the Ospreys game. There was heart, there was passion and there was accuracy," said McIntosh.
"We needed that game to get salvation. We know that last week we did an injustice to ourselves, to the region and we did some soul searching in the week to put it right.
"We made some strides towards that. We have spoken the truth this week and put our cards on the table.
"They have reacted how I expected them to react. We know we have got it in us; it's just a matter of getting that onto a rugby pitch."
Follow us on Facebook, join the conversation on Twitter, sign up to our YouTube channel for extensive match highlights and sign up for our newsletter for regular updates on the RaboDirect PRO12
Guinness PRO12 Blues News
63x46.png){kind=logo}