Ulster's Nick Timoney left to reflect on what might have been after try ruled out against La Rochelle

The Ireland backrow had the ball dislodged in the process of grounding it and the place was adjudged a knock-on.

The try would have given Ulster a much-needed victory in France and offered the chance of a last 16 tie in Belfast in the Champions Cup if victory could be achieved over Sale at the Kingspan Stadium on Saturday night.

Instead, Ulster – leading 3-0 – conceded an 82nd minute converted try to slump to a sixth defeat in seven games and now face the English Premiership side knowing they must win to reach the knockout stages.

After other results over the weekend the highest Ulster can finish is seventh, with a trip to the side that finish top or second in Pool if they beat Sale.

It was the third time in three consecutive games Ulster have blown a lead while winning going into the closing stages, and the defeat was a hard one to take for Timoney.

"It's gutting to lose any game but the fashion that it occurred in sort of made it worse obviously, we're a bit deflated,” Timoney said.

“I guess battling with the way that we said this week, we'd judge ourselves on our attitude and energy in the face of what's been a rough few weeks.

“From that point of view, I thought we were good so maybe differently to some of the last few weeks, we're trying to hold our heads a bit higher than they have been but obviously still heartbroken,” Timoney added.

“I sort of feel it's been a bit of a theme the last few weeks, there's been lots of close ones and we're not really getting on the right side of them.

“There's loads of bits you can do each week to improve on the results but I guess that has to be the overriding thought - that we came and gave a pretty good account of ourselves.

“The weather and conditions were pretty appalling but in terms of our attitude and energy, our physicality and that sort of thing, was pretty good.”

Timoney admits with Ulster’s current run of form it is hard to stay positive.

“You've got to try and be real with yourselves and what seems terrible because you're losing, and what's actually good.

“You're losing so you're not focusing on some of the good stuff – we're never going to be a team that loses, that battles, and are delighted with ourselves, taking positives.

“But you can't just take negatives – even if they don't score in the last play there, there's loads of positives and negatives we take from the game.

“Just because they do score in the last play of the game, we can't let that taint our view of everything that happened for the rest of the 80 minutes, so you've got to just deal with it.

"It's sport, if you're not willing to be there for the bad times, you can't really expect many good times. You just deal with it like professionals.”