Final heartbreak in Bilbao - but how have Ulster progressed?

ByAndy Gray

BBC Sport NI Journalist astatine the San Mames Stadium, Bilbao

As the prima acceptable implicit Bilbao connected Friday night, it besides acceptable connected Ulster's imagination of lifting the Challenge Cup.

Montpellier did not conscionable interruption Ulster's hearts. They shattered them with a show of ruthless ratio to triumph the contention for the 3rd time.

Nick Timoney's aboriginal converted effort gave Ulster the cleanable commencement but Montpellier capitalised connected mistakes to instrumentality a pb they would not relinquish.

Such was the powerfulness of the French side, they ended up scoring 9 tries arsenic Ulster's absorption wilted successful punishingly blistery conditions wrong San Mames Stadium.

"It's a precise hard day. We came up against a existent powerhouse of French rugby," said caput manager Richie Murphy.

"They are close up astatine the apical of the array and they had excessively overmuch powerfulness for america tonight."

Ulster came retired 2nd champion but determination were fleeting positives, from Timoney's blistering commencement to a superb idiosyncratic decorativeness from the returning Robert Baloucoune.

But determination were besides lingering 'what ifs?'. What if Zac Ward's missed tackle did not unfastened up abstraction for Montpellier's opening try? Would things person changed if Harry Sheridan was capable to support clasp of the shot arsenic helium fell towards the line, oregon if Tom Stewart did not overthrow connected his line-out?

All tiny moments that played a relation successful the defeat.

However, successful truth, fixed Montpellier's objective borderline and domination successful the pack, it astir apt would not person made overmuch quality implicit the people of 80 minutes.

As the Ulster players sank to their knees astatine full-time, the symptom etched crossed their faces, they had 1 of the astir hard tasks successful athletics arsenic they watched Montpellier assistance the silverware they had craved for truthful long.

"If you look astatine wherever Montpellier beryllium and the teams they person beaten implicit the past fig of weeks, they are 1 of the champion teams successful Europe," added Murphy.

"We're disappointed but we volition get backmost unneurotic to person a look astatine it earlier we interruption up."

Twelve months agone the temper astir Ulster was overmuch much sombre than it has been successful caller months.

But, ultimately, the result is the aforesaid arsenic the state missed retired connected the United Rugby Championship play-offs and qualification for the Champions Cup. On apical of that, their long-awaited hunt for silverware volition continue.

Digging deeper into the numbers, Ulster finished 14 points amended disconnected than the erstwhile URC run and moved from 14th to ninth successful the table.

And reaching a archetypal European last successful 14 years is an accomplishment not to beryllium sniffed at.

But it is the lawsuit of what could person been, some domestically and successful Europe, that stings.

"I deliberation we're a wholly antithetic squad from wherever we were this clip past year," said Murphy.

"At the commencement of the play if you had told maine we would get 52 points successful the league and beryllium successful a European last with a accidental to triumph it, I would person taken your manus off.

"A squad with 52 points has ne'er not got into the apical 8 successful the URC."

There is besides the statement that Ulster are victims of their ain success.

As a reward for an upturn successful form, the state were heavy represented successful Ireland's Six Nations squad.

A arrogant infinitesimal for those associated with the club, but it did deprive cardinal players of the mid-season breather they usually would person had.

For the final, Ulster were missing their 4 longest-serving players. Captain Iain Henderson was suspended, portion Stuart McCloskey - truthful influential for some Ulster and Ireland - was injured on with Jacob Stockdale and Rob Herring.

"There were 8 players successful Ireland campy and lone 2 past year," observed Murphy.

"The rugby we've played, and reaching a European final, albeit not with the effect we wanted, each of those things person had an interaction connected america making the apical eight.

"We person had to determination our resources astir and astatine this clip our squad astir apt isn't beardown capable to vie successful 2 competitions."

Murphy added helium was "gutted" that Ulster's play had travel to a adjacent successful a devastating eight-day spell that saw play-off hopes gaffe distant with past week's location nonaccomplishment to Glasgow earlier they travelled to Bilbao.

With their play present astatine a close, it volition beryllium a agelong summertime for Ulster's players and unit to ponder what went incorrect from a run that erstwhile promised truthful much.

When asked however Ulster tin adjacent the spread to the apical sides successful Europe, and vie crossed a season, Murphy said it would beryllium a process.

"It's a batch of enactment connected the grooming pitch. It's going backmost and reviewing to marque incremental changes implicit the adjacent play of time," helium said.

"You tin look astatine our play and radical volition determine whether it was bully oregon bad, but we consciousness similar we are moving successful the close direction.

"You look astatine the squad we had retired there. We had a batch of precise young players.

"Those guys volition larn a immense magnitude from that experience. This volition thrust america guardant and it gives america a existent sensation of however bully we person to beryllium to beryllium astatine the apical extremity of Europe.

"We've done incredibly good to get this acold but we're not satisfied with that. We'll travel backmost fighting."