YOU ALWAYS USED to get the sense with Ulster that any time they turned a corner, it was into a cul de sac.

Take 2020. They’d storm through their Champions Cup pool; then get trounced by Toulouse in the quarters.

They’d climb out of the grave away to Edinburgh to win a remarkable Pro14 semi-final, then get comprehensively beaten in the final.

A new season would suggest a new dawn. They’d win eight in a row; then they’d lose two in a row in Europe.

Does this undermine Sunday’s impressive win over Connacht at the Sportsground? You could say Ulster are a team you can’t yet fully trust.

But under Dan McFarland they definitely moving in the right direction. That Connacht game, which they trailed at half-time, was the type of game they used to lose under Les Kiss.

Here is what Andrew Trimble had to say to The42 about McFarland.

“One guy in particular retired soon enough after me – so he had exposure to Dan, and his thoughts are that if we had have had Dan McFarland for any period during our career, we would have won something.

“The team we had in 2012, 2013, 2014, we had little opportunities, we got to the knock-out stages of Europe and the Pro12 and ended up short. If we had Dan during those years, we’d have taken at least one trophy home.

“That’s not a reflection of the coaches we had at the time – they all did incredible jobs. I like how balanced his approach is, like the fact he places an emphasis on Ulster playing their own style, like that he has backed the young fellas. O’Sullivan, Lyttle, Hume, Moore, Lowry, the Reas, O’Toole – he’s brought them through.

“Remember when Dan played Mike Lowry out of position against Leicester? A European heavyweight but the trust in a young fella was there because Dan knows they are good enough. He’s taken Ulster so far and yes, there is another step to go. He has done a very good job.”

Losing Marcell Coetzee will make it harder for them to make that next step.

On the nights when Ulster’s internationals were away on Irish duty – you could rely on Coetzee to provide a bit of stardust.

Now what they have is an honest bunch, a good starting point for any side. But to win trophies, to take that extra, crucial step, you need more than that. Coetzee had that X-Factor. Now he has the ex-factor.

Still, 2020 has left them staring at possibilities. The Pro14′s shortened season has given them a shot at making the final. You sense it’ll come down to their game against Leinster on 8 January. Given how the season has unfolded to date, that is a de-facto semi-final.

It’s hard to see them doing it – but now they are out of Champions Cup contention, at the very least they can shape their team selections around that fixture and get the best team out available to them.

Nor should the Challenge Cup be regarded with a degree of snobbery, either. Considering that it is 2006 since Ulster last won something and considering how their eight defeats in 2020 told a familiar story of them struggling against Europe’s elite, the Challenge Cup is a winnable tournament for an evolving side.

Take that prize and see where it takes them. As for 2020, a record of 13 wins from 21 games needs a little context. Seven of their eight defeats came away from Belfast, but since the 2020/21 campaign began, their away form has improved.

The latter end of the year offers hope – even Sunday’s win in Connacht spoke of a resilience that’s building. The next couple of weeks, against Munster firstly, then Leinster, will let us know if, finally, that corner has been turned.

The 2020 awards go to ….

Player of the year …..Marcell Coetzee ….. the reason his departure will hurt is because he is a seriously good player

Breakthrough player … James Hume Lit up the Pro14 final with that early try. One of many good, young players emerging in Belfast

Best moment …. The comeback win in Edinburgh was special. At one stage they weren’t just dead and buried, the cortege had walked out of the graveyard. The fightback was inspiring. 

And the worst …..  Take your pick. Toulouse in the quarters was bad; Gloucester a week ago was worse. The way Leinster moved out of sight in the Pro14 final was sobering; Coetzee’s news couldn’t have come at a worse time.