RICHIE MURPHY IDENTIFIED Ulster’s inability to go the distance against Bordeaux-Begles as being fundamental to the province’s 40-19 home defeat in round two of the European Champions Cup.
Ulster shipped six tries to Yannick Bru’s side and, in the second half, coughed up 26 unanswered points with Damian Penaud and Louis Bielle-Biarrey claiming touchdowns in the game-changing final quarter.
“In order to be able play against these types of teams, you have to last 80 minutes and at the moment, we’re not quite able to do that,” said Murphy after Ulster had fallen to their second heavy defeat to French sides, Toulouse having hammered them 61-21 last weekend.
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“Everyone has held their hands up and come in with an attitude to try and turn what was last week (against Toulouse) into a really good performance this week and against teams like Bordeaux you have to be on it for 80 minutes.
“In order for us beat these types of teams”, Murphy said of Bordeaux and Toulouse, “we have to play to the right space all the time. You get it wrong, you run into massive bodies and they slow you down and it becomes very difficult to regenerate quick ball.”
With no points after two European matches, Ulster have it all to do in January at Leicester Tigers before completing their Pool One fixture list when hosting Exeter Chiefs. But the pressure is also on them in the URC with back-to-back interprovincials – Munster at home and Connacht away – coming up either side of Christmas.
Ulster have slipped to 10th in the league table having lost to Cardiff and Leinster prior to the opening European rounds which have now brought two more reversals.
“It’s tough to take but we’re playing in the top competition in Europe and we’re playing against two of probably the top four or five teams in Europe off the back of playing another one (Leinster in the URC) so three of the top five teams over the last three weeks is difficult.
“(It’s) Six days to Munster, and to have six-day turnarounds, it’s a brutal schedule. We’ll dust ourselves off and go again,” he said.
“(The) Backend of the game we disintegrated quite a lot and we’re pretty disappointed with that last 15 to 20 minutes but ultimately it’s not a lack of effort or commitment and we feel we are moving in the right direction. But against teams like this, we’re probably not quite there yet.”
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Murphy laments Ulster's second-half 'disintegration' against Bordeaux
RICHIE MURPHY IDENTIFIED Ulster’s inability to go the distance against Bordeaux-Begles as being fundamental to the province’s 40-19 home defeat in round two of the European Champions Cup.
Ulster shipped six tries to Yannick Bru’s side and, in the second half, coughed up 26 unanswered points with Damian Penaud and Louis Bielle-Biarrey claiming touchdowns in the game-changing final quarter.
“In order to be able play against these types of teams, you have to last 80 minutes and at the moment, we’re not quite able to do that,” said Murphy after Ulster had fallen to their second heavy defeat to French sides, Toulouse having hammered them 61-21 last weekend.
“Everyone has held their hands up and come in with an attitude to try and turn what was last week (against Toulouse) into a really good performance this week and against teams like Bordeaux you have to be on it for 80 minutes.
“In order for us beat these types of teams”, Murphy said of Bordeaux and Toulouse, “we have to play to the right space all the time. You get it wrong, you run into massive bodies and they slow you down and it becomes very difficult to regenerate quick ball.”
With no points after two European matches, Ulster have it all to do in January at Leicester Tigers before completing their Pool One fixture list when hosting Exeter Chiefs. But the pressure is also on them in the URC with back-to-back interprovincials – Munster at home and Connacht away – coming up either side of Christmas.
Ulster have slipped to 10th in the league table having lost to Cardiff and Leinster prior to the opening European rounds which have now brought two more reversals.
“It’s tough to take but we’re playing in the top competition in Europe and we’re playing against two of probably the top four or five teams in Europe off the back of playing another one (Leinster in the URC) so three of the top five teams over the last three weeks is difficult.
“(It’s) Six days to Munster, and to have six-day turnarounds, it’s a brutal schedule. We’ll dust ourselves off and go again,” he said.
“(The) Backend of the game we disintegrated quite a lot and we’re pretty disappointed with that last 15 to 20 minutes but ultimately it’s not a lack of effort or commitment and we feel we are moving in the right direction. But against teams like this, we’re probably not quite there yet.”
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