Murphy continued: “The lads are disappointed, but I said to them there they shouldn’t be they played against a really good team, and they made it very difficult for them.”

With Ulster’s season now over, Murphy reflected on the progress his side have made since his arrival in March and is already looking forward to next season’s re-build with a number of experienced players such as Billy Burns and Steven Kitshoff departing.

“Over the last number of the weeks, it is great to see where we’ve come to as a group and the tightness that has been formed, that comes from the players taking responsibility and driving the standard through training,” he explained.

“I’m also delighted with the staff since coming in they’ve been unbelievably good, and the credit has to go to them.

“I’m looking forward to a break but on the back of that [performance] we’ll be ready to get back into it.”