CONNACHT HEAD COACH Andy Friend was left to lament missed opportunities at key times as his side slipped to back-to-back interprovincial defeats after a 35-3 reverse to Ulster at Kingspan Stadium.

While the scoreline indicates a one-sided game, in truth it could have been a lot different had Friend’s charges made the most of a completely dominant spell just before the interval that saw them rack up over 30 phases on the Ulster line but fail to be rewarded on the scoreboard when it still read just 14-3.

Even with Ulster skipper Rob Herring sin-binned midway through, the western province couldn’t make their dominance in both possession and territory count, the closest they came being when Stephen Fitzgerald spilled the ball over the line after being found by brother Conor with a crossfield kick.

And when Ulster scored twice inside the first 10 minutes of the second half to stretch their lead out, that was enough to take the game beyond Connacht, whose only points came through the boot of Conor Fitzgerald’s early penalty.

That left Friend lamenting his side’s inability to take their chances despite dominating both territory (55%) and possession (56%), which leaves their interprovincial record this season at three losses from three having been outscored a combined 96-28.

“We put ourselves in a good position just before half-time and we didn’t have the firepower to get across. That hurt us. We burnt a lot of fuel there for no reward,” reflected the Australian coach, whose side stay just a point ahead of Edinburgh in third place in Conference B of the PRO14 having played a game more.

“We went in at half-time 14-3 and we spoke about it, but you saw the Ulster crowd and their changing room must have been buoyed because they came out in the second half and put another 14 points on us in the next 10-12 minutes.

“That was a crucial part of the game and we need to look at that and see how we can be better there. It’s options, it’s collision lines, it’s speed of support. It’s a whole range of things there.

“That’s something we need to have a look at because we had possession in the right positions, we just couldn’t get over the line.”

Of the positives that they can take into next week’s clash with Leinster at the RDS Arena was another strong set-piece, which was at its disruptive best at Kingspan Stadium, gaining the upper hand in both the line-out and the scrum.

Ultan Dillane and Joe Maksymiw both had excellent games at the line-out, managing to disrupt six of Ulster’s 15 throws while going flawless on their own darts, while the scrum also ran perfectly throughout the night, drawing a couple of penalties despite losing both starters Paddy McAllister and Finlay Bealham just before the half-hour mark.

However, for Friend, it was another reflection of how much they struggled to compete in the loose that, despite gaining the upper hand in the tight, they still came away from the game 32 points in arrears.

“I thought our set-piece was outstanding. We won all of our line-out ball, our scrum was really solid and we were winning penalties. Normally when that happens you win a game of football, not end up 32 points on the wrong side of it,” he said with a rueful grin.

“That gives you a good indication of where we lost it. We had the footy there but we couldn’t contain their box-kicking, we couldn’t get the ball and when we did get the ball, we didn’t have the firepower to get across the line.

“At the end of the day, you need to score tries. We didn’t.”

Another problem comes squarely into focus ahead of next weekend’s trip to the capital as well, with the number of players available dwindling by the week. Already short a fair few bodies, Friend had to watch McAllister, Bealham and then Eoin McKeon all depart with further injuries.

With European ties on the horizon against Toulouse in Galway and then a trip to Montpellier to follow, having to deal with what will be another full-blooded interpro against the thus far undefeated Leinster is an unenviable task, no matter how defiant Friend sounds about their compete levels.

“We don’t have the numbers to rotate. What we’ve got is what we’ve got. We only have 24 fit players and after tonight it’s probably less than that,” admitted the head coach bluntly.

“But it’s all part of our learning. We’ve put ourselves in the Champions Cup, the top end of the PRO14.

“We’re banged up but I can guarantee you one thing; Connacht won’t stop fighting. We’ll put a side out there next week that will go to the RDS and try to win a game of football.”