Robbie Diack admits the players are hurting following the 30-25 defeat against Connacht on Friday night, but he believes the squad will bounce back for the Champions Cup opener against Bordeaux next weekend.
The versatile forward says that individual errors was the primary reason for the disappointing reversal at the Sportsground.
“It’s the second time I’ve lost down here,” said the 30-year-old. “It frustrates me when the word ‘attitude’ gets thrown around because we prepared really well and I think we were there bang on with attitude, it was just individual mistakes that let us down.
“I think when you’re playing last year’s champions and it’s an inter-pro, you know it’s going to be tough. To be fair to them, they played well, especially in the first half. We came back and showed what we were capable of doing, but we needed to prolong that good spell. If you’re not at your best down here, you’re going to lose.
“We are all man enough to admit to our mistakes and put our hands up to apologise to our team mates. At the end of the day, it wasn’t structural mistakes, it was individual moments when we weren’t on the money. The good thing is that can change - players can work on that this week and I reckon we’ll be much better next week.”
While the defeat was hard to take for Diack, he believes the Guinness PRO12 match in Galway was the ideal prelude to the start of European competition next weekend.
“Coming down to Connacht was the perfect preparation for Europe. It’s going to be tough again next week but I think we’re in a good place. We’re hurting but we’re doing pretty well at the same time and I think that combination will serve us well.”
In Diack’s first years at Ulster, the team found it difficult on French soil, but steady improvement has led to an increasing number of wins in recent seasons, including a fine 23-25 win over four-time champions Toulouse last December.
“We’ve come a long way but it’s never easy over in France. They will be massive on their set piece so that will be a big element of the game. We’re disappointed to finish off this block of games with a loss but to take the form (generally) over the first six weeks into Europe will be huge for us,” he said, referring to Ulster's unbeaten run in the opening five rounds of the PRO12.
Having lost their first Champions Cup pool match last season, against Saracens, Diack is fully aware of the need for Ulster to kick off its campaign with a win.
“The first game sets the tone for the tournament and is very important for getting out of the pool. It will be a big test for us and it will be a tough training week. There is a lot of preparation that goes into these games and the coaches are already stuck into that. The coaches will have a few selection headaches because all of the players are really hungry to be involved next week.”
The versatile forward says that individual errors was the primary reason for the disappointing reversal at the Sportsground.
“It’s the second time I’ve lost down here,” said the 30-year-old. “It frustrates me when the word ‘attitude’ gets thrown around because we prepared really well and I think we were there bang on with attitude, it was just individual mistakes that let us down.
“I think when you’re playing last year’s champions and it’s an inter-pro, you know it’s going to be tough. To be fair to them, they played well, especially in the first half. We came back and showed what we were capable of doing, but we needed to prolong that good spell. If you’re not at your best down here, you’re going to lose.
“We are all man enough to admit to our mistakes and put our hands up to apologise to our team mates. At the end of the day, it wasn’t structural mistakes, it was individual moments when we weren’t on the money. The good thing is that can change - players can work on that this week and I reckon we’ll be much better next week.”
While the defeat was hard to take for Diack, he believes the Guinness PRO12 match in Galway was the ideal prelude to the start of European competition next weekend.
“Coming down to Connacht was the perfect preparation for Europe. It’s going to be tough again next week but I think we’re in a good place. We’re hurting but we’re doing pretty well at the same time and I think that combination will serve us well.”
In Diack’s first years at Ulster, the team found it difficult on French soil, but steady improvement has led to an increasing number of wins in recent seasons, including a fine 23-25 win over four-time champions Toulouse last December.
“We’ve come a long way but it’s never easy over in France. They will be massive on their set piece so that will be a big element of the game. We’re disappointed to finish off this block of games with a loss but to take the form (generally) over the first six weeks into Europe will be huge for us,” he said, referring to Ulster's unbeaten run in the opening five rounds of the PRO12.
Having lost their first Champions Cup pool match last season, against Saracens, Diack is fully aware of the need for Ulster to kick off its campaign with a win.
“The first game sets the tone for the tournament and is very important for getting out of the pool. It will be a big test for us and it will be a tough training week. There is a lot of preparation that goes into these games and the coaches are already stuck into that. The coaches will have a few selection headaches because all of the players are really hungry to be involved next week.”