Ulster's Richie Murphy optimistic for the future despite United Rugby Championship quarter-final defeat to Leinster

Ulster head coach Richie Murphy. PIC: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press.

Ulster had moments in the first-half when they were camped on the Leinster try line but failed to score and the 17-0 interval lead proved too big a mountain for Richie Murphy’s side to climb in the second-half.

Ulster’s wait to end their trophy drought rolls into a 19th season, but with the emergence of the likes of Cormac Izuchukwu, Harry Sheridan and Scott Wilson, Murphy, who took over from Dan McFarland in March, is optimistic about the future.

“Playing against Leinster and the power and pace they play at gives us an idea of what the level is – not that we didn’t know, but playing in a quarter-final, we’d like to come back in 12 months and be a different team in that regard,” said the former Ireland U20’s coach. “I feel like the players have become a tighter bunch and have stepped up to take ownership.

“Conversations around the training environment have improved and players have much more to say in our meetings...we need to drive on with that. For us, it is trying to take the next step going into next season.

"We have a tough start and it’s just making sure that we hit the ground running and that we go on from this point rather than backwards.”

Despite missing 30 tackles and conceding six tries, Murphy was pleased with the never-say-die attitude his side displayed.

“I thought our lads stuck in the fight really well,” he added. “I thought we showed great character, we kept going and kept fighting right to the end, which is satisfying from my point of view.

“On a different day a couple of things might have gone our way early on and we could have put more pressure on them, but they were very good and clinical when they got into our 22.

“I thought early on we put them under pressure and a couple of bounces of the ball didn’t go our way at that stage...we needed to put some scoreboard pressure on a team like Leinster.

"They are very hard to handle when the power game comes at you and losing Cormac (Izuchukwu) early was a loss. We were missing four senior locks, it made it a difficult place to be.”

Murphy has won five and lost five of his first 10 games in charge of Ulster since initially coming in as interim coach before signing a two-year permanent deal.

“The funny thing is it has been that different (from Ireland U20’s) – there are obviously more people involved and the panel is bigger,” he said. “When I took the job, I said I was just going to be myself and do it the way I wanted to do it...the management team has been incredible and the coaches got in behind it straight away.

“It is difficult for them because they had worked for Dan then someone else comes in and they have all been brilliant. The management team in the background have done a really good job turning the lads around and the players have responded very positively to it.

“We have gone after small things just trying to make ourselves better in small areas. Coming into the summer, we’ll probably have a wider scope on trying to improve our game a little bit.”