This was no easy ask for Ulster skipper Iain Henderson – another heavy European loss to absorb, this time at home, and trying to sound upbeat while the noise of Bordeaux’s high-profile supporters celebrating penetrated the room.
That and circling the wagons for Friday’s festive inter-pro with Munster, with both sides somewhat lacking in seasonal cheer but badly needing a result as we return to the URC with the two provinces eager to break back into the top eight.
Bordeaux Bègles’ Guido Petti scores a try during his side’s Champions Cup victory over Ulster
First up, though, the elephant in the room; another hefty reverse in the Champions Cup to sit alongside the absolute pasting from six days earlier while in Toulouse.
“Nobody wants to ship 100 points in two games,” said Henderson, addressing the horrible 101 notched up from playing the sides first and second in France’s Top 14.
“We’ll be judged on that, how we react to that internally and externally. The last three weeks, we have played Leinster (in the URC), Toulouse and Bordeaux, and they are three of the top teams in Europe.
“We knew this was going to be the start of a tough period for us, we are going to measure ourselves on how we turn up on Monday morning and approach the new week (against Munster).
“I have no doubt in my mind that when the guys come in on Monday, no one will be sulking or trying to throw anyone under the bus.
“We are in this process together to ensure we continue to work on what we have been working on over the last number of weeks.
“We’re on a journey to improve as a team, and things like this are going to happen against the best sides in Europe.”
Ulster’s Iain Henderson wins a lineout during his side’s clash with Bordeaux Bègles
Just to add to the general sense of discomfort, Saturday evening brought up a fourth successive loss for Richie Murphy’s squad as defeats to Cardiff and Leinster were shipped before we arrived at the Champions Cup.
“Playing those three teams, who are arguably the top three teams in Europe, there is a lot to be said there for patches (of good stuff) in those games,” Henderson explained.
“We can see that we can compete with them at times, but we don’t compete with them for a full 80 minutes.
“(Going forward) it is just ensuring that we can continue to build.
“It is about making sure the guys can understand what they have to do and putting that into practice.”
Still, there was no hiding place for Henderson’s disappointment as Ulster surrendered 26 unanswered points to Bordeaux in Saturday’s second-half, the skipper looking on unable to do anything from the bench after coming off around the hour.
“It was frustrating, I would have loved to have been out there. Sitting there watching it unfold, you feel helpless, you want to do a bit more, but that is just the way it happens,” Henderson continued.
“We talked about what we wanted out of the game from last week (in Toulouse, when Henderson was benched), we wanted to see an improvement, and I definitely thought there was a marked improvement in the first 50 to 60 minutes, and that is something we can build on.”
“(It’s) very disappointing in that last period for 50 to 60 minutes onwards.
“There were elements in that first-half that we should be proud of, but there are a whole heap of them in the second-half that are a reversal of that.”
The Bordeaux Bègles squad celebrate with the travelling fans after their victory over Ulster
And to add some context, Henderson explained some of what had happened afterwards when certain clips of action were played to the squad after arriving back in what was a very downcast changing room.
He said: “The coaches are very good at giving us contrasting clips, for example showing us a clip from the second-half how we didn’t transition ‘D’ well and showing us a clip of how we did do it in the first-half.”
In microcosm, essentially what was happening to their game as we got deeper into the second-half ahead of Bordeaux breaking away following Damian Penaud’s score and the three which followed.
Ulster’s Nathan Doak plays a pass during his side’s Champions Cup clash with Bordeaux Bègles
“There is always disappointment after losing big games, especially the manner we have lost our last two, but that is part of the learning process and part of the pain you have to go through to get better,” said Henderson.
“We are solidifying better habits throughout the squad, but are we there yet? We are nowhere near where we want to be.”
Now for Munster, though. A side battling with its own demons in the 2024/25 season and a place behind Ulster in the URC table as they currently sit in 11th, though just a point separates them and both have won three from seven.
“Munster are definitely a team that can score from anywhere, and we know they will be coming up wanting to rattle us a bit,” said Henderson.
“We have got to be excited about that. Going forward, we have a vision and plan in place of what we want to do.”
Best get cracking on with that one then.