A bitterly disappointed Richie Murphy admitted the final URC standings in a week’s time will tell no lies on foot of Ulster not qualifying for the play-offs or next season’s Champions Cup.
Their 38-20 loss to Munster in Thomond Park was their 10th in 17 matches, leaving them 12th in the table and already looking ahead to next season.
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“We’re massively disappointed to now miss out on the top eight but we will regroup. We have a group of players, obviously some are massively experienced and some are very, very young players who are learning at this level.
“These games over the last number of weeks will massively stand to us going forward, but ultimately at this moment in time, we’re not good enough,” the Ulster head coach conceded.
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Murphy admitted there was always likely to be growing pains with such a young squad, which was compounded by injury woes among their senior players.
“You can’t put 20, 21, 22, 23-year-olds out there and expect them to hit the ground running when they are playing against some serious high-level international players. There’s going to be an area of growth.
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“I suppose from our point of view, it’s been a very broken year in relation to the team that we have been able to put out, especially the first part of the year where we were chopping and changing four, five, six, seven players week-in, week-out, but the last couple of weeks we’ve had a closer run at things.
“Ultimately over the course of the season, our league position doesn’t lie. We haven’t quite been good enough.”
Asked if Ulster needed more financial support and additional players, Murphy said: “Our squad depth is our squad depth, it’s just that we are quite young and inexperienced in certain areas.
“I think we will have 42 players next year. That’s been built around the parameters that are set up for us at this moment in time with budget and with how it’s laid out.”
“We are obviously bringing in (Juarno) Augustus as a backrower for next year who will give us a little bit of experience and know-how in that area,” Murphy added in relation to the signing of Northampton’s South African number 8.
“But ultimately in certain positions we are still going to be quite young. That’s the way we are going. We are backing the youth. We know there is probably a little bit of pain at the moment but we are willing to keep pushing through because we can see the potential in those players, and I think you guys will have seen that potential too.”
Murphy confirmed “there are some other signings but we’re not in a position to announce them at the moment”, albeit that Augustus is their marquee signing.
Winning the Challenge Cup to end the province’s 20-year trophy drought will now be one of next season’s target, along with ensuring a top-eight finish, ambitions of which Murphy remains optimistic.
“Everyone is going to be a year older. Everyone is going to be a little bit wiser. I think getting into this summer, we’ll know exactly where we are, we know exactly what we need to go about.
“There has been massive development in Ulster in relation to a whole new coaching team in the last 12 months, a whole new strength and conditioning programme and team in the last six months, so those things are bedding in and all of us understanding everything.
“Of course we want to win games, we are not happy with the idea of playing in the Challenge Cup but ultimately that’s where we are, and that might be something to go after next year.”
