Ulster given much-needed reality check by Richie Murphy, admits Marcus Rea

For Ulster, rather than a warm, coddling voice, it came in the shape of a harsh reality check from interim boss Richie Murphy. Not willing to pull any punches, he explained to the team exactly what he had seen from afar.

That’s not to say he came in and lambasted the side for under-performing, rather the Bray man simply told the players exactly where they were and how they needed to approach the remainder of a flagging campaign. At that point, after just one win in their last four, it was time for some home truths.

Flanker Marcus Rea admits: “I think at that stage, because we hadn’t had great results, I think the honesty was a bit of a reality check that we are actually not at where we need to be.

“It was more a realisation for players that we are not in the same position that we have been in years gone by where we have played really well and we have been on a hot streak.

“It has definitely been a good reality check for guys to sort of look at themselves and go, ‘What am I doing?’ or what has slipped with habits.”

That will be a refreshing thought for fans who have been well used to Ulster performing below expectations thus far this season.

From the home defeat to Edinburgh and away loss to the Ospreys that cost Dan McFarland his job to the back-to-back humiliations against Toulouse and Harlequins that dumped them out of the Champions Cup, there has been little to cheer.

“We just needed someone to basically say there were issues that needed addressing in the sense that we just weren’t getting the final pass or whatever,” continues Rea.

Now sitting 10th in the United Rugby Championship standings and knowing their hopes of not only making the Play-Offs but qualifying for next season’s Champions Cup are on a knife edge, it’s a pivotal time.

Some might say where the province are in the table is an accurate reflection of where they are as a team. Some would even argue that dropping into the Challenge Cup for next season would be a blessing in disguise as it would allow them to blood some more younger players and place more focus on the URC instead.

But nobody within the club wants to be rolling over and accepting defeat. The elephant in the room is that Ulster simply cannot afford to lose out on the riches that accompany the Champions Cup, while no player wants to drop into the second tier competition, especially from the outset.

“We want to play in Europe every year and that is somewhere we believe we should be,” concurs Rea.

“It is what we have been doing, we really haven’t dipped into that Challenge Cup territory for a while. For us, (Champions Cup) rugby is still where we want to be. We’re still not quite there this year but a top-eight finish is paramount for us.

“Whether we have the tools in the box to get over the line to lift silverware or not is up in the air but we’ll definitely be looking for that top-eight.”

Accordingly, Murphy has come in and, alongside his brutal honesty, has tried to foster an environment that will have his squad firing on all cylinders.

“The first week (he arrived), Richie said the guys on the fringes are going to get a run, he is going to put a lot of faith into the guys that are there or thereabouts, especially the young guys that are coming through that he has seen already at Irish (Under-)20s,” says Rea, who started last time out against Cardiff and should do likewise against Benetton on Friday.

“It has been good because he is trying to build a very competitive environment. We have had that before but it is just because young guys are getting an opportunity everyone is going to get their time at some point.

“It is just breeding that competitive argy-bargy environment.”

For Rea in particular, that sounds like a positive step. The openside, a true breakdown specialist, has flitted in and out of the squad over the course of the season and has struggled to nail down a role within the team.

While David McCann and Nick Timoney are now mainstays in the back-row, the final spot is up for grabs and while Harry Sheridan appears to have the inside track to it, his ability to play in the second-row could see him shifted there instead.

So, with McCann able to play blindside or openside, it means a shirt is there for whoever wants it, particularly with the Play-Offs — potentially — around the corner, and it’s a chance that Rea is eager to take.

“There are opportunities. I have had a few off the bench. The amount of game time I was getting I probably didn’t show enough then I got a run there against Cardiff and I was happy enough,” he adds.

“For the guys that do get the jersey at the weekend, the opportunity is there if they play well and they will probably get it again the next weekend most likely, unless a starter is coming back.

“You want to be playing PlayOff rugby, I got a few games last year and the year before, the most memorable games you play are the Quarter Finals and the Semi-Finals — the occasion and just everything around it is huge.

“You don’t have to get up for it, it is always going to be there when you come to it.”