If Province are to get their winning habits back soon, having the ball in their hands and demanding more from their opponents will be key.
For all of their possessions, Ulster responded to an attack that the manager described as “blunt”, creating just one line break against Munster as their opponents made 293 tackles.
But in a broader sense, the decline over the last 25 months has been as follows, with seven defeats in 10 games this season and just two wins in the last 12 in Europe’s top competition as they struggle to qualify for the Champions Cup. distinct.
When Murphy agreed to join Ulster as Dan McFarland’s replacement last season, he would have known he would not be held to the same standards of results as his predecessors.
The era of high-priced imports appears to be over in Belfast, with two-time World Cup winner Steven Kitshoff signing a three-year contract after a year away last summer.
There was once a budget for players like Duane Vermeulen, Marcell Coetzee and, going further back, Ruan Pienaar and Charles Piutau, but now Murphy says there is “not a lot” of money to spend.
Performance, and indeed expectations, reflect the resulting changes.
“We always knew coming in that the road ahead for Ulster would be different and that we would need to bring in some young players,” said Murphy, who arrived in Belfast after enjoying success with the Ireland Under-20s. .
“You don’t need a lot of money to sign people. People are responding well, working really hard. We just need to be a little more outspoken in the key moments of the game.”
