Toulouse 61-21 Ulster: Harsh lessons as Ulster learn ‘real level’ of Dupont’s Toulouse
After a day in the cold and rain, the game was over almost as soon as it started and the flight back to Belfast was not filled with joy.
But as everyone boarded, one supporter on the return flight happily announced: “Smile, Christmas is almost here!”.
Ulster now need to show they have learned from Sunday’s heavy defeat and go into the festive period with a more positive attitude.
It may have been a painful opening night, but Europe’s progress remains in their own hands.
Bordeaux come to Belfast for their second match and Ulster will have to regroup quickly against another top French opponent.
As defender Stuart Moore said, Ulster had “no time to feel sorry for themselves”. This may be a blessing in disguise.
“Yes, we are a young team but we have to give it our all next week.
“In terms of progress, we just want to perform well. We’re going up against a good team in France, a good team in England and we’re trying to do that every week.”
There has been talk of progress since Murphy took over at the start of the year, but it will be a challenge to ensure that the Toulouse result is a speed bump rather than a roadblock.
