For most of the second half in Cape Town last weekend, Ulster's players stood up tall to the onslaught of the DHL Stormers' pressure, with a deafening DHL Stadium support doing everything in their might to get the home side over the line.
Ulster put in one of their best defensive displays of the season in keeping the Stormers at bay, until the last few minutes of the contest, as Evan Roos finally broke through the province's steely defence on the night.
A couple of penalties afterwards saw the Stormers close it out with a 13-7 scoreline.
The aftermath was gutting, as the players had given their all, only to rue the small margins that saw their slender lead slip late on in Cape Town.
One of the shining lights in Ulster's stubborn rearguard display against the Stormers, Harry Sheridan, was one of a number of young Ulster players who were putting in a superb shift on the night.
While disappointed in how it panned out, Sheridan was able to see the progression during the two week tour.
“It was disappointing, we cant fault the effort but there are just a few areas we can sharpen up on. As Richie said in our team talk, it's about building blocks and that has to be our benchmark now for the rest of the season. We’ll go again this Sunday against Montpellier."
After the experienced lock, Kieran Treadwell, came off with a hand injury following a vital turnover in the second half, Ulster's second row formed of Sheridan and Cormac Izuchukwu, two young forwards with huge potential.
"It’s class to be on the pitch alongside your mates. Izzy (Izuchukwu) and I have been training together for so long and we rarely get to play together in the second row. Now it could hopefully be a more regular occurrence, I love being out there with all the lads but of course it's special when I'm alongside Izzy.
Everyone in the squad is pushing each other to do better and take it to the next level."
After two weeks in South Africa together, Sheridan says it was an ideal opportunity for the team to get to know each other more with the increased time on and off the pitch.
"You got to spend two weeks with the lads and now I feel like I know everyone inside out! It was probably the best thing for a new coaching group too. We had a good game of 'traitors' that went the whole way through the camp, so that was a good bit of craic outside all the rugby. I learned a few things about a few boys, some can certainly tell some lies!
But two weeks away with the best bunch of lads and I couldn’t ask for a better group. I loved every second but obviously the two results were disappointing, we have to learn and take the learnings into Montpellier this weekend."
Montpellier offer a stiff test for an Ulster side who are aiming to build upon their tour and implement what Richie Murphy is trying to bring to the team for the business end of the season.
With it, comes an opportunity to progress into the final eight of the EPCR Challenge Cup, should the province get the win in France.
"You have to take your chances away to Montpellier, they are a good side, who play attacking rugby. They have a bit of a fortress at GGL Stadium so, a tough place to go and we’ll be in that headspace now that we are going for the win come Sunday."