Ulster’s Michael Lowry calls for greater cutting edge to get over the line

Ulster managed to score just one try against Leinster in the PRO14 final - their only points across 80 minutes at the Aviva Stadium.

Then another solitary try in Sunday’s 36-8 Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final defeat to Toulouse.

“We know we can create opportunities, just taking those opportunities is where we’ve let ourselves down,” said Lowry. “Obviously Leinster and Toulouse will have better defences than teams we’ve maybe played in the past, especially in a PRO14 final and European Cup.

“That’s just where the standard has to be at, it’s a bit of both.

“We have to be better and defences are obviously going to be stronger.”

“It’s not like we’re not creating opportunities because we’ve seen plenty of opportunities coming through.

“It’s just about being clinical really.”

“We set a goal at the start of the season that we want to be a team that consistently competes for championships.

“And, yes, we have got to a PRO14 final and a European quarter-final but it just shows that we still have a bit to go.

“Teams like Leinster and Toulouse are at that stage, they’re pretty much there in terms of silverware, they’ve been there before and done that a lot more than we have.

“It’s a great experience to get to a PRO14 final and European quarter-final, but at the end of the day every rugby player wants to win silverware.

“And that’s still the goal for next season, we still want to get there and we have to be better, we know what we need to do to get there.

“We haven’t hit those heights post-lockdown and we haven’t been good enough.

“Yes, we got the win in Edinburgh but again we weren’t clinical enough in the Leinster game or Toulouse.

“We know where we need to be to get silverware next season.”

Despite the two knockout defeats in quick succession - which means Ulster’s 14-year wait for a trophy goes on - Lowry enjoyed playing in the big occasions.

“Definitely and having that experience is really important, we could have patted ourselves on the back for getting this far, but at the end of the day Leinster and Toulouse are where we have to be at,” said Lowry. “We will get there and I 100 per cent believe in that, we all believe in that.

“We’re a tight group, we’re only getting better and we’re still climbing the mountain here.

“We didn’t start at the top of the mountain, we’re still climbing and, hopefully, next season we can be at the top of the mountain.

“That (defeat) has to motivate us, it is definitely a motivation for me and it means so much to us as players to be at that level.

“There’s no point settling for a quarter-final or a second place in a PRO14, we want winner’s medals at the end of the day.

“It has to motivate and that’s the level we have to be at next season.”

--

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper whenever you are able to do so.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world.

But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper when you can safely.

You can also enjoy unlimited access to the best news from across Northern Ireland and the UK by subscribing to newsletter.co.uk

With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Thank you