Interim boss Richie Murphy thought Ulster were “brilliant” in United Rugby Championship defeat by the Stormers but feels that one point from two games in South Africa is disappointing.
Ulster led for the most of the match in Cape Town but were beaten 13-7 thanks to a 73rd-minute Evan Roos try.
The losing bonus point came after they banked no return against the Sharks in the trip’s first game.
“You come to South Africa, you know it’s going to be tough,” Murphy said.
He added: “To come away with one point is probably disappointing. We’d have probably expected to get a little more than that.
“I thought our players were brilliant tonight. I thought their work-rate, their hunger, their ability to work back to cover each others’ backsides, I was really happy with that part of our game.
“I thought in the first-half we played really well, played some really good rugby, and showed some really good signs of improvement from last week.
“Probably just our accuracy wasn’t quite where it needed to be. It’s something that we can work on.
“We’ve still five games left in the league so we’re in the mix and we can still make this top eight.”
Ulster were under pressure for much of the second-half, eventually losing their lead moments after flanker Dave McCann returned from the sin bin.
They had played some encouraging attacking rugby before the turn but ultimately would not score a single point after John Cooney converted Nick Timoney’s seventh-minute try.
“The Stormers missed a couple of kicks, we missed a couple of kicks, but we definitely had a couple of opportunities that we didn’t quite take,” Murphy said.
“Seven points up at half-time was probably a reasonable reflection. I thought both teams should have scored a few more points.
“(In the second-half) they got a bit more ball, a couple of 50/50 calls went their way, and sometimes that’ll happen when you’re at home.
“They got into their game, got into their flow, and started moving the ball to the width and caused us a bit of trouble in those areas.
“They pinned us back in the corners and we didn’t get out well enough. Ultimately that’s what cost us the game.”
‘Montpellier game another massive test’
Ulster’s attention now turns to Europe with a trip to Montpellier to come in the last 16 of the Challenge Cup next time out.
“Montpellier away is an interesting place to go, another tough, hostile place,” Murphy added.
“We’ll get home on Monday morning, give the guys a couple of days off, and bring them back in on Wednesday.
“It’s a Sunday game which gives us a bit more time, which is great. Our focus will very much shift towards trying to get into that quarter-final which would be a fantastic achievement.
“Another similar test, a big physical team who will want to play a bit, especially at home.
“Their home record is very good over the last five or six games. It’s another massive test for us.
“We haven’t got an easy run over the last couple of weeks.”
