Ulster coach Richie Murphy has conceded Sunday’s surprising defeat to Zebre in the United Rugby Championship.
Zebre scored a 15-14 winner in Belfast as the Italian side cruised to a 36-game win in the United Rugby Championship.
After winning against Exeter to progress in Europe the week before, Sunday’s loss means Ulster miss the chance to move up to eighth in the URC.
Murphy admitted the result was damaging to Ulster’s hopes of securing Champions Cup rugby with the highest finish in the league.
The loss was Murphy’s sixth in 10 domestic appearances.
Ulster’s head coach said: “Unfortunately it was a poor result for us.
“We were only looking for the top eight, but a little bit higher than that.”
After Bautista Staville and Giocomo Da Re scored quickfire goals in the second half, Ulster pushed for a late reply but fell short.
“As you can imagine, it’s not a very happy dressing room.
“We came into the game tonight knowing exactly what we needed to do and we weren’t able to do it.
“We have a long way to go, so we need to take a look at ourselves, collectively and individually.”
“We have to stop this inconsistency in the game. One week we are down and the next we are down.”
