As the wind and rain lashed down on crestfallen Ulster players, it was clear to see the emotions on the players' faces following a brutal battle against the European champions, Stade Rochelais, in their own backyard.
As the Ulster men continue to work hard on finding form and momentum, they came seconds away from causing an almighty upset at the Stade Marcel Deflandre, before the champions rallied to find a way to snatch victory with no time left for Ulster to reply.
The soaked section of Ulster's travelling support did their best to pick up the players, with their support on show for the bruised team after the final whistle went.
Ulster's Head Coach, Dan McFarland, said that it was "heartbreaking" for the team to lose in the way that they did because of the massive effort and performance from the side.
"The guys will remember this game, we were 60 seconds away from beating the European champions at home. Also with the backdrop of our run of fixtures going into the game, we churned out a performance."
Upon reflection on Ulster's dominance in the first half , McFarland felt his team should have been awarded a penalty try by the referee, after a series of penalties by the home side that resulted in one of their players being yellow-carded.
The Head Coach singled out a few performances from young players in particular that he was extremely proud of. McFarland highlighted Nathan Doak's excellent kicking in such difficult weather conditions saying that Doak "controlled the game, especially in the second half with the wind swirling".
Another honourable mention was Ulster debutant Harry Sheridan, who McFarland describes as a "big powerful man who made telling play giving us a turnover and made some big tackles" on his first outing for the senior squad.
Ulster's powerful openside flanker, Nick Timoney, shared his coach's heartbreak describing the end to the match as "gutting".
The number 7 was inches away from scoring a try in the game after driving to the line, but TMO confirmed that the ball had slipped out of Timoney's control.
Despite the loss Timoney was proud of the effort put in saying "the overriding thought its that we gave a good account of ourselves but our attitude, energy and physicality were good."
Sale Sharks
As the dust settles on the closely fought defeat, Ulster turn their focus to what is essentially a knock out game at the Kingspan Stadium next Saturday against Sale Sharks. With qualification for the Round of 16 of the Champions Cup on offer, it's something that both the Head Coach and players are looking forward to.
Timoney says it could be the perfect match to turn close losses into a crucial win: "Taking a step back, we are still in a position where we can get in the knockout stages in the league and Champions Cup, so we'll go into Sale all guns blazing and it will be an exciting home game. I don't think I've played a home game in months so I'm looking forward to it."
He also highlighted how important Ulster's home support will be adding that they have "stuck with us during this run, so they deserve something to cheer about" and that he felt they were not far away from a big win.
McFarland says his side will work on a game plan this week to combat Sale, a team that last time beat the province by 39-0.
"We will focus on putting in a performance that puts us on the path to winning, and we haven't played a Champions Cup game at home yet this season, so we're really excited for that."
The Ulster men's next home fixture is the crucial final Heineken Champions Cup pool stage game against Sale Sharks on Saturday 21 January (kick-off 8pm). Tickets are available now at ulster.rugby/buytickets.