Yahoo Sports 'No sulking' for Ulster after four-game losing run
There was to be no bounceback from Ulster this time.
Twelve months ago, their European campaign began in humbling fashion with a 37-14 loss to Bath.
They ultimately failed to reach the knockout stages, but the players at least gave their supporters a night to cherish when they regrouped from that loss at the Rec with an impressive bonus-point win over Racing 92 in Belfast.
Such a morale-boosting resurgence proved elusive this time around. Having been thumped by Toulouse in last week's season opener, Saturday's 40-19 reverse to Bordeaux leaves Ulster bottom of Pool One with a points difference of -61.
Against Toulouse, Ulster were pummelled from the get-go, but for a long time on Saturday they threatened to claim the scalp of the other high-flying Top 14 side standing between them and the next round.
Tries from Cormac Izuchukwu, Nick Timoney and Werner Kok gave Richie Murphy's side a 19-14 lead at the break, but instead of building on that first-half promise, Ulster's challenge collapsed as Bordeaux ran in 26 unanswered points to intensify their hosts' mid-season malaise.
Having also fallen to Cardiff, Leinster and Toulouse, Ulster have now lost four games on the spin, and shipped 101 points in their first two European games of the season. The Toulouse and Bordeaux defeats also mean Ulster have won just three of their past 14 matches in European competition.
It is unquestionably the most challenging spell for this group under Murphy, who replaced Dan McFarland earlier this year. And for captain Iain Henderson, the manner in which the players front up to a dispiriting sequence of results will be an important step.
"I'm going to judge us on how we react to that [disappointing run] internally and externally," said Henderson, who was back in the starting line-up after starting the Toulouse game on the bench.
"The last three weeks we've played Leinster, Toulouse and Bordeaux, three of the top teams in Europe, and we knew this was always going to be start of a really tough period for us.
"We're going to measure ourselves on how we turn up on Monday morning and attempt to approach next week [against Munster]."
He added: "Are we there yet? We're nowhere near where we want to be, but going forward we have a vision and a plan in place of what we want to do."
As Henderson pointed out, this run of games always promised to be a brutal assessment of Ulster's progress.
That they have had to face Leinster and the current top two in French rugby without a host of established players - Jacob Stockdale, Tom Stewart, John Cooney and James Hume chief among them - has only added to the challenge.
The flip side, of course, is that Murphy has been able to expose the younger members of his squad to some of the toughest tests in club rugby.
Last week, James McCormick and Ben Carson were among those to make their European debuts. On Saturday, Ireland Sevens star Zac Ward was given his senior XVs debut while Rory Telfer and James Humphreys came off the bench late for their first taste of Champions Cup action.
Exposure to such unforgiving environments can be a lot for untested players to absorb, but Henderson insists it will be beneficial for the squad's long-term development.
"There's always disappointment after losing big games, especially the manner we've lost our last two, but that's part of the learning process, part of the pain you have to go through to get better," he explained.
"Ensuring a lot of our players are getting exposure to the top level will definitely stand to them. Especially to those couple of guys getting their first cap tonight; I thought Zac did really well, Telf probably didn't get enough to show what he can actually do.
"But those guys, and last week as well, getting exposure at that level, they can only learn from that and ideally get better."
Ulster must wait a month before trying to breathe new life into their European hopes when they visit Leicester on 11 January.
First up is a couple of festive interpros, and while they prepare to host Munster on Friday evening at a low ebb, Henderson is not entertaining the notion that the past few weeks will have a lasting psychological impact on the squad.
"I've no doubt in my mind that the guys will come in on Monday, there will be no-one sulking, there will be no-one trying to throw anyone else under the bus.
"As I said, it's a process together to ensure we can continue to work on what we've been working on for the last number of weeks."
