IT WAS A case of Murphy and Son in Kingspan Ravenhill on Saturday night.
Dad Richie won his second game of the season, the second at home following the opening day win over Glasgow.
But son Ben added to his growing reputations with a daring try on the stroke of half time, spotting a gap and committing with a great turn of pace to go over the line.
It was his fourth try in four games this season, and he downplayed the family element to this week afterwards.
“It was a little bit of fun, back and forth on the phone. But other than that it was just similar; a big game for him and a big game for us as well,” said Ben.
“I suppose just trying to play with your heads up. I saw a gap and was kind of expecting it. I just opened up and trusted my instincts to go through.
“Ultimately the result is all that matters, we will pick ourselves up go again.”
For Connacht head coach Pete Wilkins, it was a battle between the glass half full of two bonus try points, and the dropped three points by not pushing on when they had a chance.
“With the way the scoreboard flowed at the end, it was two points gained. But that comes with the frustration of knowing that we could have played better. Knowing that Ulster handled those pressure moments better than us,” Wilkins said.
“They turned the games into another little game and another little game. Getting to the 22 and I thought they were outstanding once they go there. By the end of the game they were running five points for every entry into the 22, but we have to ask how we let them get to there.”
Undoubtedly, Connacht’s efforts were harmed by the late red card awarded to Josh Murphy with his unnecessary and dangerous hit on James McCormick. The extra gap helped Nick Timoney record his match-winning try on his 150th cap.
“It is a big moment in the game,” acknowledged Wilkins.
“It hurt our chances of getting the result from that point onwards. I think we managed to tackled Doak in behind him, he wriggled out and some of those little pressure moments, Ulster handled them better than us. No doubt it was costly.”
When he bounded into the room, Ulster head coach Richie Murphy looked like a man that all was well in the world with.
“First thing is, delighted to get the five points. Came back from South Africa, obviously a lot of pressure on us to perform and I thought in a lot of periods of the game we have done really well,” he said.
“I thought the commitment was there from the start, physicality was right up, the guys were really going for it from early on.
“They probably lost their way for a time and they turned over some easy ball in midfield and we probably didn’t kick the ball enough.
“Connacht, the way they are playing with loads of confidence, they are playing good rugby and capitalising on some of our mistakes.”
Midweek, he was coming home from a friendly game of padel with his wife when their son called. It was tight lips all round prior to this game, but few know the son quite like the father and Richie insists he could see Ben’s try coming.
“I could see it happening. I could see it happening before he went and then when he went through the gap that nobody would catch him. He is extremely quick. Playing with a bit of confidence as well,” Murphy said.
“From a father’s point of view, I am really proud of the player he is becoming and I think he is doing a really good job for Connacht over the last few weeks.
“He is allowed to come home tonight to stay with us!”
With 20 minutes left, the score was locked 24 apiece. It could have gone either way as Connacht were brimming with purpose. But it does Ulster no harm to win games like these with a smattering of ugly about them.
“It shows the character of the team there,” says Murphy.
“We are not worried about the defeats in South Africa. We are disappointed. But the first game, it probably arrives a little bit quickly for us and we are not set.
“We are coming off the Glasgow game and that’s the test for us this week. Can we back up the commitment and physicality to ourselves that we have shown together, when we play Ospreys.
“If we can do that and get another win here next Friday, we are right back in this.”
Ospreys up next on a chilly Friday evening. Just the way they like it.
