Murphy disappointed to come away empty-handed

Ulster head coach Richie Murphy said he was "massively disappointed" to come away from Friday's United Rugby Championship derby with Leinster empty-handed after their second-half comeback fell short. James Culhane and Jimmy O'Brien scored to give Leinster a 15-0 lead after a dominant first-half display before Robbie Henshaw and Sam Prendergast tries stretched the advantage to 29-0 at Affidea Stadium. Ulster cut the deficit to 29-21 through Bryn Ward and Zac Ward's double as Max Deegan's yellow card for a high hit on Werner Kok was upgraded to a 20-minute red, but the hosts were unable to find the late try that would have given them two bonus points.

And Murphy said the officials missed a hit on Jude Postlethwaite as Ulster chased the game late on. "Yes, massively disappointed. Even towards the end of the game, they're obviously down to 14," said the Ulster boss.

"Jude gets hit in the head and that's missed and it's another opportunity to get a penalty and get back down into the corner and get them under more pressure. We definitely deserved something out of the game. " Ulster went into the game on the back of Challenge Cup knockout wins over Ospreys and La Rochelle.

And while Leinster made 12 changes after reaching the Champions Cup last four, Murphy believes Leo Cullen's side displayed the momentum that comes from winning top-tier European games. "It's not that we went out there with the intention of not playing well in the first half," he said. "I'm extremely proud of the players in relation to how they reacted when they were under massive pressure at 29-0 down and managed to put together some really good things.