Nick Timoney accepts 'we are seeing bits' but Ulster 'not the complete thing'

​The back row is one of seven players from the province who will be joining up with the Ireland squad for the four Autumn internationals. Ulster don’t take the pitch again until Leinster come to Kingspan Stadium on November 29.

Ulster go into the break seventh in the table after a second-half horror show at the Cardiff Arms Park as their hosts rallied from a 19-0 deficit at the break to score 21 unanswered points.

Cardiff had only one win at home in the calendar year and didn’t look like improving that record as tries from Cormac Izuchukwu and Jud Postlewaite (two) put Ulster in the ascendency.

However, Richie Murphy’s side failed to register a point after the 23rd minute and left the Welsh capital with a losing bonus point.

Timoney knows there is plenty for Murphy and his coaching team to work on.

Statistically Ulster have the worst scrum in the URC and have conceded more penalties than any other team in the league.

Ulster have the fifth-worst lineout in the competition, are 11th in kicking, rank seventh both in attack and defence and have yet to win a game outside Belfast this season.

“We have had a couple of good results and a couple of bad results over the last while, there are lots of little things that we want to improve on from week to week,” said Timoney. “Sometimes it can be hard when you are in the thick of it to make major improvements or adjustments, I certainly know all the players and coaches are not in need but it is beneficial to have a bit of time to maybe sort some of those things out when we have that first block of games to reflect on.

“I have full confidence that we are going to come back.

"The place still has a good buzz about it and the team are striving every week to get better and better.

“The first half was probably some of the best rugby we have played this year.

"So maybe we are seeing bits of that but we’re not the complete thing just yet.”

A victory in Cardiff would have lifted Ulster to third in the table but not only did they fail to score for the last 57 minutes of the match. all 19 points came when the Welsh side had a player in the sin bin.

“Obviously disappointing, we started quite strongly in the first half and it was disappointing that we couldn’t keep that up in the second half,” he said. “We let things get away from us and I felt like they felt they had momentum on their side.

"And they made us pay.

“In the first half I felt we had more possession and more field position, our attacking shape was maybe a little bit cleaner and our set piece was maybe a little better.

"I just felt then in some of those areas they got on top in field position and possession and we put ourselves under pressure with some discipline.

“We played well in the first half but couldn’t match it for 80 minutes...unfortunately.”