Murphy 'loved' Ulster performance despite Munster loss

Ulster caput coach Richie Murphy praised nan capacity of his players contempt a 29-24 nonaccomplishment to Munster successful Thomond Park connected Saturday.

Already dealing pinch a bid of injuries to cardinal players, Ulster mislaid Stuart McCloskey and Ethan McIlroy from their starting broadside conscionable earlier kick-off, while locks Kieran Treadwell and Alan O'Connor some had to beryllium replaced successful nan opening quarter.

Still, nan visitors had a 17-7 advantage astatine half time, and led from nan eighth until nan 69th infinitesimal of nan game, earlier Munster's much powerful chair turned nan tide and sealed apical spot successful nan array for nan hosts.

"I loved my team's capacity - I thought they were brilliant," said Murphy.

"To travel down here, they went aft Munster from nan connection go.

"They stuck successful nan game, we mislaid our measurement a spot successful nan 2nd half, we conscionable mislaid power of nan ball.

"There were a mates of decisions that didn't spell our measurement and Munster conscionable sewage backmost connected top. The location municipality benignant of consciousness astir apt conscionable hardly sewage them complete nan line."

Ulster's losing prize constituent saw them decorativeness sixth successful nan URC table, mounting up a quarter-final distant to Leinster adjacent week and ensuring they will play Champions Cup rugby successful 2024/25.

Given results elsewhere, nan nonaccomplishment was of small consequence successful nan standings - Ulster could decorativeness nary higher than sixth, pinch nan only quality betwixt triumph and their 29-24 conclusion that they spell to Dublin alternatively than Glasgow adjacent week, but Murphy was disappointed to spot nan extremity of his side's four-game winning run.

"We didn't travel to get successful nan Champions Cup, we came to hit Munster," he added.

"Performances are awesome but astatine this level you person to triumph games. We would person loved to travel down present and beryllium going into that [play-off] crippled adjacent week connected nan backmost of a win.

"Obviously we haven't done that but we're astatine a very early shape of our journey. The awesome point is nan signs of really we're going to be, we're becoming a squad that's difficult to play against and 1 that looks aft nan shot overmuch amended than we were doing a mates of weeks back."

After a mostly affirmative capacity successful conclusion and finishing nan play strongly, Ulster will astatine slightest spell into nan play-offs pinch immoderate agelong sought momentum.

Munster showed past play that it is imaginable to triumph nan URC erstwhile having to spell distant from location done nan knock-outs. Murphy, though, is unwilling to look beyond a Leinster squad Ulster hit doubly during nan regular season.

"Concentrating connected trying to triumph a game, nan crippled that's successful beforehand of our face," he said of his team's approach.

"We spell week to week and this week was Munster. We've prepared nan champion we tin to hit Munster. Next week we hole nan champion we tin to hit Leinster.

"If we hit Leinster, we move on, but we don't spell crystal balling. We're very process driven, we effort and get our bits correct each week and nan knock-on effect of that is hopefully a triumph connected nan weekend."