By BBC (Sports) | Created at 2024-12-22 22:41:26 | Updated at 2024-12-23 03:24:31
4 hours ago
"We knew this was going to be a really tough period."
As Ulster's losing run reached five games with Friday's loss to Munster, the manner of their defeats is nothing if not varied.
A streak that began with the surrendering of a 19-point half-time lead away to Cardiff has also included humbling reverses to heavyweights Leinster, Toulouse and Bordeaux-Begles, even if the former were shorn of their Irish international contingent.
Their latest loss, however, was certainly a head-scratcher. The hosts at Kingspan Stadium enjoyed 70% of the ball and an even greater share of territory.
Even when playing 50 minutes of the game with 14 men thanks to Tom O'Toole's first-half red card, they led in the final seconds after James McNabney's try had put them ahead for a third time.
And yet, their two-month search for a victory goes on after Munster's Tom Farrell completed his hat-trick with no time left on the clock for an Ulster response.
"We don't feel sorry for ourselves, we just get on with it," said head coach Richie Murphy of the losing run.
"We had chances to win the game and didn't win it. It doesn't matter whether you've 14 or 15 [players], if you're in position to win the game, you've got to win it."
If the province are to get back in the winning habit soon, asking more of the opposition with ball in hand will be key.
For all their possession, Ulster manufactured just one linebreak against Munster with their opponents making 293 tackles in response to an attack the head coach described as "stodgy".
But in a wider sense, with seven losses in their 10 games this season, and struggles when stepping up to the Champions Cup that have resulted in just two wins from their past 12 in Europe's top competition, the decline over the past 25 months has been stark.
When Murphy agreed to join Ulster as Dan McFarland's successor last season, he will have known that he was not to be held to the same standard of results as his predecessors.
With double World Cup winner Steven Kitshoff having left one year into a three-year deal last summer, the era of high price imports in Belfast appears to be over.
Where once there was a budget for players such as Duane Vermeulen, Marcell Coetzee and, going further back, Ruan Pienaar and Charles Piutau, now Murphy says there is "not bucket loads of money" to spend.
Performances, and indeed expectations, reflect the change accordingly.
"We always knew when we were coming in that the way forward was going to be different for Ulster, that we were going to have to bring some young guys through," said Murphy, who arrived in Belfast after success with the Irish under-20s.
"There's not bucket loads of money to sign people. The guys are responding well, they're working really hard, we just need to be a bit more streetwise in big moments in games."
Injuries have no doubt played their part in recent struggles. Stuart McCloskey was the latest key player to hobble off against Munster, and Ulster had three former players in Rob Lyttle, Pete Nelson and Matty Dalton turning out for their 'A' side over the weekend.
Although a competitive return for Nelson would be complicated by his status as a Canadian international, Murphy mentioned Academy players Wilhelm de Klerk, Lukas Kenny and Ben McFarlane as potential solutions to their injury issues in the backline.
In the main, supporters seem to appreciate the context surrounding their side's recent travails, yet mired in 11th after the weekend's results, patience will only stretch so far.
Speaking after a 61-21 defeat by Toulouse this month - the most points Ulster have ever conceded in a professional game - Murphy spoke about the need to minimise the impact of "outside noise" on his squad.
As their losing streak stretches on, such chatter will only grow louder into Saturday's second festive interpro away to Connacht.
"It's about not concentrating on the defeats, it's about concentrating on the moments in the games and how we need to get better," he said.
"There's a lot of noise around five defeats in a row. We'll just concentrate on the stuff that we hold dear to ourselves and work through those processes in order to turn up in Galway and have another crack.
"It depends on how we deal with it. We've got to show them the things they're doing well and show them the things they need to do better to get over the line."
