Ciaran Donaghy
Ulster’s hopes of securing a top-four finish and home quarter-final in the United Rugby Championship suffered a blow on Saturday in the 21-10 reverse at Ospreys.
The reversal in Bridgend was the province’s third successive defeat in Wales this season after losing to Cardiff in the European Challenge Cup and to the Scarlets across the league.
Ulster led 10-7 at half-time but fell behind to a converted James Ratti try on 69 minutes.
Ulster looked to have gone back in front when prop Angus Bell went over on 76 minutes, Jack Murphy hooked the conversion wide meaning the visitors led by a point. However, the TMO intervened and the try was chalked off as Marcus Rea was found guilty of an illegal clear out in the build-up which earned the replacement flanker a yellow card.
Ulster head coach Richie Murphy. (Photo by Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press)
The Ospreys wrapped victory up when Michal Lowry failed to control a kick on its own try line, allowing Daniel Kasende to steal the ball and dot down.
The defeat leaves Ulster sixth in the table although they have a game in hand over the top four.
“I suppose the first thing is we are bitterly disappointed,” said Murphy. “To come over here and put ourselves in a position where we’re right in the middle of the game at half-time, we get a lineout five metres from their try line and we made a rash decision to throw the ball on the ground.
“If we score at that stage we’re in a really good position going into half-time…second half our set piece comes under pressure, both lineout and scrum, which gives them access into our corners.
“We defended unbelievably well for long periods but we couldn’t get the release valve that we needed and when we did pick up a penalty our set piece came under pressure.”
Murphy felt aggrieved that two big decisions went against Ulster in the final five minutes.
“Massively disappointed, we scored a try towards the back end of the game and it is hard to understand why its cancelled but that is the way it is,” he said. “There is another incident at the other end at the very end of the game where someone dives on Mikey (Lowry) on the ground….there are quite a few calls that go against us that makes us wonder.
“We’ll have to look back and try and get some clarity off the referees about what they are seeing.”
Ulster will have a week off before travelling to 12th-placed Edinburgh for a rearranged fixture that was postponed in round two.
“We lose a few guys back to national camp,” said the Ulster head coach. “We’ll get into our review and try to get in to building towards Edinburgh because we have got two weeks’ prep.
“It is going to be another massive challenge away from home.
“But it is the game that we have in hand and it is massively important.
“What we have to work out is what is going to happen with our Irish players, will they all be in camp or will we get one or two of them back…so there is a bit of planning in and around the next two weeks but we’ll look forward to getting back out there and trying to right some of the wrongs from the Ospreys.”