ULSTER HEAD COACH Richie Murphy struck a defiant tone despite his side’s nine-try loss to Montpellier in Friday’s Challenge Cup final, insisting that his side remains on the right trajectory.
Beset by injuries, the northern province were thoroughly outclassed by a side who currently sit second in the Top 14.
But Murphy, whose team have missed out on a URC play-off spot and a place in the Champions Cup next season, believes Ulster still managed to turn a corner this season having been in a far lower place when he initially took charge in 2024.
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“At the start of the season, if you told me we’d get 52 points in the league and we’d be in a European final with a chance to win it, I probably would have taken your hand off,” Murphy said. “52 points has never not got into the top eight before.
“I think this will drive us forward because it gives us a taste of how good we have to be to be at the top end of Europe. We’ve done incredibly well to get to this far, we’re definitely not satisfied with that but we’ll come back fighting again.”
When asked what Ulster must to do to close the gap to sides such as Montpellier, Murphy replied: “It’s obviously a lot of work on the training pitch. We have to come back and review it. If you look at where Montpellier sit and the teams that they have been beating in the last couple of weeks, they are one of the best teams in Europe.
“So, we’re disappointed obviously but we’ll get back together next week and make sure we’ve had a look at it before we break up.”
A promising season for Ulster has, to some extent, petered out, then. Missing out on the URC play-offs and top-tier European qualification feels like a scant return for the work Murphy and his players put into it.
And the Ulster boss said after his side’s loss to Bordeaux that the degree to which the campaign was successful was open to interpretation, but he insisted that his side will continue to improve.
“You can look at our season and decide… people will decide whether it’s good or bad,” Murphy said. “I feel we’re heading in the right direction and an experience like tonight, albeit tough, will also be used a driver to get better, going forward.”
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'It gives us a taste of how good we have to be to be at the top end of Europe
ULSTER HEAD COACH Richie Murphy struck a defiant tone despite his side’s nine-try loss to Montpellier in Friday’s Challenge Cup final, insisting that his side remains on the right trajectory.
Beset by injuries, the northern province were thoroughly outclassed by a side who currently sit second in the Top 14.
But Murphy, whose team have missed out on a URC play-off spot and a place in the Champions Cup next season, believes Ulster still managed to turn a corner this season having been in a far lower place when he initially took charge in 2024.
“At the start of the season, if you told me we’d get 52 points in the league and we’d be in a European final with a chance to win it, I probably would have taken your hand off,” Murphy said. “52 points has never not got into the top eight before.
“I think this will drive us forward because it gives us a taste of how good we have to be to be at the top end of Europe. We’ve done incredibly well to get to this far, we’re definitely not satisfied with that but we’ll come back fighting again.”
When asked what Ulster must to do to close the gap to sides such as Montpellier, Murphy replied: “It’s obviously a lot of work on the training pitch. We have to come back and review it. If you look at where Montpellier sit and the teams that they have been beating in the last couple of weeks, they are one of the best teams in Europe.
“So, we’re disappointed obviously but we’ll get back together next week and make sure we’ve had a look at it before we break up.”
A promising season for Ulster has, to some extent, petered out, then. Missing out on the URC play-offs and top-tier European qualification feels like a scant return for the work Murphy and his players put into it.
And the Ulster boss said after his side’s loss to Bordeaux that the degree to which the campaign was successful was open to interpretation, but he insisted that his side will continue to improve.
“You can look at our season and decide… people will decide whether it’s good or bad,” Murphy said. “I feel we’re heading in the right direction and an experience like tonight, albeit tough, will also be used a driver to get better, going forward.”
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