ULSTER COACH RICHIE Murphy was all smiles after his team had sprung the upset of the United Rugby Championship thus far in winning 34-26 in Durban on Saturday.
Ulster were underdogs against a home team that had 13 Springboks on show, many of them double-World Cup winners.
“We are delighted to come over here and win and take home five points,” Murphy said. “It is a big statement win for us, especially against a Sharks team of serious quality. They put some big names on the pitch.
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“We are very satisfied with how we managed to stay in the fight when our set piece was not going to plan, and off turnover ball, we were very dangerous.
“So we are happy with how we transitioned and caused the Sharks a lot of trouble.”
Ulster have been building steadily under Murphy after a rocky period, and the coach feels that his team has crossed a watershed after beating two of South Africa’s best teams over the last fortnight.
“Last week, the game against the Bulls felt like a big moment where we had moved in the right direction,” Murphy said. “We have played four games this season, one pre-season and three in the tournament, and won all four. We have not done that in a long time.
“You can see how much the players want to play for each other, and the commitment they have towards Ulster, which is huge. We will keep pointing them in the right direction. There are loads of things that we as coaches feel we can go after to get better, but we are happy with how we are progressing at this stage.”
Murphy said it had been an intimidating prospect to go up against a Sharks team boasting icons in Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi, Andre Esterhuizen, Grant Williams, and Ox Nche.
“When you see the names on the team sheet, you can easily give up, and maybe think about next week’s game, but that is not the type of team we are. We want to play against the best teams with their best players, and that challenge has galvanized our team.
“I feel we have shown a new side of the team we want to be, and that is a very committed bunch of players working hard for each other.”
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'It is a big statement win for us' - Ulster rejoice after bonus-point victory over Sharks
ULSTER COACH RICHIE Murphy was all smiles after his team had sprung the upset of the United Rugby Championship thus far in winning 34-26 in Durban on Saturday.
Ulster were underdogs against a home team that had 13 Springboks on show, many of them double-World Cup winners.
“We are delighted to come over here and win and take home five points,” Murphy said. “It is a big statement win for us, especially against a Sharks team of serious quality. They put some big names on the pitch.
“We are very satisfied with how we managed to stay in the fight when our set piece was not going to plan, and off turnover ball, we were very dangerous.
“So we are happy with how we transitioned and caused the Sharks a lot of trouble.”
Ulster have been building steadily under Murphy after a rocky period, and the coach feels that his team has crossed a watershed after beating two of South Africa’s best teams over the last fortnight.
“Last week, the game against the Bulls felt like a big moment where we had moved in the right direction,” Murphy said. “We have played four games this season, one pre-season and three in the tournament, and won all four. We have not done that in a long time.
“You can see how much the players want to play for each other, and the commitment they have towards Ulster, which is huge. We will keep pointing them in the right direction. There are loads of things that we as coaches feel we can go after to get better, but we are happy with how we are progressing at this stage.”
Murphy said it had been an intimidating prospect to go up against a Sharks team boasting icons in Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi, Andre Esterhuizen, Grant Williams, and Ox Nche.
“When you see the names on the team sheet, you can easily give up, and maybe think about next week’s game, but that is not the type of team we are. We want to play against the best teams with their best players, and that challenge has galvanized our team.
“I feel we have shown a new side of the team we want to be, and that is a very committed bunch of players working hard for each other.”
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pushing on Rugby sharks Ulster URC