Ulster in a tailspin after Munster defeat but Werner Kok confident Province can turn season around

Centre Tom Farrell’s try with the last play of the game condemned Ulster to a fifth consecutive defeat in all competitions, slipping to 11th in the United Rugby Championship table.

The already lengthy injury list was added to with backs Zac Ward and Stuart McCloskey departing before half-time while prop Tom O’Toole is facing a likely suspension after being shown a straight red card.

Despite the poor run of form, South African winger Werner Kok firmly believes Ulster can turn their season round.

“We’ll start getting momentum and it’s something we have to strive for,” he said.

"It’s still a long season and we are not even halfway through yet, so we can push for the next few and it is literally [a case of] one game will put you in the top eight and then we’ll be in it again.

“We need to stick at it, look internally and don’t think about anything else, just focus on ourselves.

“It hits confidence a little bit. The big thing is not to get into a habit of losing. The coaches are doing very well to get us out of it and leave us in a good space for the next game,” Kok added.

"It becomes a little bit more personal to keep fighting and make sure you’re up for the next one.

“It’s just one or two things to sort out and the boys will find momentum.”

Kok admitted that while Ulster are in a ‘tough’ situation, he believes the character of the team will pull them through.

“It is tough, I’ve been in this situation before,” he continued. “You can’t really worry about what’s on the outside and what other people say. It becomes more internal now, and it actually brings out the character in the team.

“It is easy to see good character and good fight if it’s going well, and it really brings out the boys’ fight and character when it’s not going that well; it’s going to test us now.”

Kok was pleased with the spirit Ulster showed after the red card and injuries on Friday.

“It’s tough, it always means you have to work two-to-three per cent harder backfield, especially if you lose a forward and have to take a back off for scrums so you are always a little bit on the backfoot when they attack the line. But I think the boys showed a lot of character and worked hard for each other.

“Injuries are part of the game, you can’t prepare for and it is one of those things, and the boys who came on did a very good job. We’ve seen how Telf (Rory Telfer) can play and Jack made his debut and really stepped up and played a phenomenal game.”

Ulster now face Connacht in Galway on Saturday.

Kok said: “I haven’t been there yet but I’ve heard it’s pretty tough – another Irish derby – so we’ll sit down and see where we can improve, but there are a lot of positives and whenever we get into the 22, we just have to get more points, and we just have to take the game to them.

“We’re in a building phase and there are a lot of young boys in the team, and you can actually see that, but it’s an excuse we can’t use any more.

"There are a lot of seniors around who can pick the boys up and they just have to start believing because we have a lot of talent in this squad. We have to stick in there and use our talent and ability to win a few games.”