Ulster 'a little bit lucky' in dramatic Cardiff win says Richie Murphy but coach delighted with URC boost

Interim coach Richie Murphy admitted Ulster were “a little bit lucky” to get last night’s URC win against Cardiff at Kingspan – but was delighted with four points in such dramatic fashion to celebrate a first home game in charge.
By Ciaran Donaghy
Published 20th Apr 2024, 13:59 BST
Ulster interim head coach Richie Murphy. (Photo by Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press)Ulster interim head coach Richie Murphy. (Photo by Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press)
Ulster interim head coach Richie Murphy. (Photo by Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press)

The Belfast clash swung when Cardiff broke away from their own 22 and scored what seemed a match-winning try but it was called back for a deliberate knock on – allowing John Cooney to kick a penalty and give Ulster a 19-17 victory.

“It was a strange one because I really couldn’t see a clear knock on and I actually thought the game had gone at that stage and we were probably a little bit lucky to get the win in the end,” stated Murphy in his post-match press conference. “Looking back at the game as a whole...there are so many things that we need to do better and not get into those situations at the end of the game.

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“It’s four points and there are no pictures on the scorecard.

"We have got our win and we are moving in the right direction in the league but, overall, we’ll look at the game and see plenty of areas where we need drastic improvement over the next couple of days for Benetton here next Friday night.

“I fully believe we were very lucky to win the game but I also fully believe that the boys stuck right at it and were fully going after Cardiff. The accuracy arrears are what we need to be better at in and around that contact area.

"I thought our lineout functioned better than it has in the last few weeks but, ultimately, in around the breakdown area in attack and defence we weren’t really good enough.”

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Despite the nerve-jangling end, Murphy enjoyed his first home game.

“It was incredible and exactly what I was expecting, a big crowd and when we gave them something to cheer about they cheered and got in behind the team,” he reflected. “In crucial parts of the game I’m sure the lads felt uplifted. Our job as a team and as Ulster Rugby is to give them (the fans) something to cheer about and they’ll go home a little bit happier that we won, even though there is a lot of improvement needed.”

The coach stated it was too early to give an update on centre James Hume’s injury after he had to go off on 18 minutes.

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Related topics:CardiffUlsterJames HumeBelfast