Rúaidhrí O'Connor

Murphy will learn a lot in terms of being his first head coaching job at this level.

He may approach the Challenge Cup very differently next year, but he has a bit of a job on his hands to try and pick up those players as well, doesn't he?

I mean, this could be a damaging night if they don't handle it the right way.

Yeah, that was an experience.

I was kind of surprised that Rory Best was sitting beside Richie Murphy in the coaching box, because he's the general manager who kind of oversees things, and I just would normally be either an analyst or an assistant coach sitting beside him.

What did you read into that?

It wasn't the press conference to be asking that kind of question last night.

It was a very downbeat trio that walked in here.

It was just an interesting visual, but Best is...

key to this as well as a GM but he's also in his first kind of post rugby role like that I think it's a good shrewd appointment but he's learning on the job as well so that's all part of it I think they'll all take something from this and he was on the pitch when they won the David Humphries was as well when they won the Magners League or the Celtic League back in 2006 the last time they won silverware and I think from Best's point of view

He knows what the budget is.

He knows what the club is capable of doing in the transfer market.

He knows what's coming through.

He's got his finger in all of those pies.

And he has a big role to play in creating the conditions for Murphy to go on and build something.

Look, I think the progress that's there this season is evident.

But ultimately, they're the fourth best Irish province on the table this year, even though...

at times they played much better rugby than some of their rivals who finished much higher up than them.

And I'm sure there's Munster fans who will be, you know, pointing at it going, look, we finished fifth and we get all the criticism and you're giving Ulster a bit of a pass.

So they shouldn't get a pass for that result.