'You've got to stick in the fight' - Ulster's Richie Murphy reflects on Bulls result frustration but URC performance pride
Head coach Richie Murphy felt Ulster should have left Pretoria with more than a try bonus point after Saturday’s 34-26 defeat which leaves his side without a win across their first four United Rugby Championship fixtures.
Ulster appeared in line to pick up a second match point but Curwin Bosch's last-kick-of-the-game penalty stretched the Bulls’ winning margin to eight points.
“We're disappointed in the end, we're disappointed not to get the last try, we're disappointed then, obviously, to give up a bonus point in that last play of the game,” said Murphy. “I thought we struggled at the start of the game to get a foothold into it and our first three possessions we probably turned over too easy.
"And that puts you under pressure, especially when you're playing against a team like the Bulls.
“They got access into our 22, I think coming up to half-time they had sort of 65% territory and possession.
"Hard to stop them and I thought our guys done a really good job in relation to sticking to the plan and executing and having a chance, sort of, two or three plays to go to actually win the game.
“We just had a way that we wanted to try and play...we probably went away from that early on in the game.
"But we got more towards what we were trying to do towards the back end of the half and into the second half.
“You've got to stick in the fight here, plenty of teams come here and they kind of roll over...I don't think we've done that, which I'm really proud about.
“The way the lads stuck to task and with four or five minutes to go we had an opportunity down the left touchline...
"Stu McCloskey is probably in touch, you know what I mean?
"But ball back inside, if he gets that away just a fraction earlier we're going into the last two minutes with a lead...that's the breaks.”
Despite still not having won in the domestic league, Murphy is optimistic Ulster can turn it around.
“If you look at the opposition, although we've drawn two and now lost two, the opposition that we've played are all top four teams,” he said. “And I think when you look at us over the long term, over the season, these games will really benefit towards the back end of the season.
"Because we're in tight battles, at one stage it looked like we might have ended up at a three-point draw each again.
“We've got to learn some lessons and the lessons around our discipline.
“Discipline wasn't good in the first half...it gave them access through penalties, I think we had three poach penalties where we weren't out of the back of the tackle.
“I thought one was particularly tough but the other two were probably right...then you look at our ability to hold on to our ball in multi-phase and where we played some really nice rugby.
"We’re probably turning the ball over a little bit too much.”
ULSTER: (15-9) Jacob Stockdale, Chay Mullins, Jamie Benson, Stuart McCloskey, Michael Lowry, Jack Murphy, Nathan Doak; (1-8) Tom O’Toole, Tom Stewart (captain), Keynan Knox, Ben Donnell, Cormac Izuchukwu, David McCann, Nick Timoney, Juarno Augustus.
Replacements: Henry Walker, Eric O’Sullivan, Scott Wilson, Eli Snyman, James McNabney, Matthew Devine, Jake Flannery, James McKillop.