'Shell-shocked' - were Ulster 'emotionally ready' in Zebre defeat?

It started with rain and ended in tears as Zebre made history in Belfast.

The Italian side's four-year wait for an away win in the United Rugby Championship, a run which stretched to 36 games, came to an end and Ulster, in a season of disappointment, were the ones on the receiving end.

At the full-time whistle, Zebre's players fell to their knees and the home support filtered out of the stadium in a stunned silence.

The contrast could not have been more clear.

It has been a season of low points for Richie Murphy, but this might be the lowest yet.

In a run of two morale boosting wins over the course of nine matches, Ulster had thrown away leads - some of them significant - but this one felt different.

They didn't land a blow on their Italian opponents, who had only won two matches all season.

Former Ulster and Ireland back row Chris Henry said on BBC Two NI that he was "gobsmacked" with the second-half performance.

"We didn't see that second half coming," said the former flanker who felt Ulster's inconsistent form had taken an "emotional toll" on the players.

"Yes, it was a slow opening 40 minutes but I really thought Ulster would come out and force themselves a bit more. It looked a bit lacklustre. It was a tough night."

Former Ulster and Ireland wing Tommy Bowe said the defeat looked like "an absolute hammer blow".

"A lot of today was about mindset, and Ulster were second best," he added.

"They looked shell-shocked out there and looked like they didn't know where to go."

Murphy, who has been supportive of his players in a difficult run, admitted "it's very hard to pick positives" out of the defeat.

"Emotionally, were we ready for the challenge that was coming for us?," he said.

"We thought that we were, but ultimately when you see how we played, we were well short of where we needed to be."

The defeat came off the back of a big win over Exeter in Europe, which allowed Ulster to sneak through to the last-16 of the Invstec Champions Cup.

There was hope that the Exeter win could provide a platform to build from. Instead, Ulster fell flat as they succumbed not only to the weather, but their Italian opponents.

When back row Nick Timoney was asked if this was one of the worst defeats in his Ulster career, he replied: "On paper? Yeah, probably".

"There is certainly a consistency thing we need to work on," said Timoney, who added he was "pretty upset" at the result.

"There were times last week that were really poor as well. We ran away with the scoreline but that might have masked some things as well.

"Not that we weren't analysing ourselves, but some of the things we got away with last week through scoring some tries in the second half, we didn't get away with here.

"If you look at Zebre's reputation, I would say it doesn't do them justice. They are a better team than people give them credit for."

When asked if there was a hangover from the Exeter win, Murphy was unsure of the impact.

"There shouldn't be, and there wasn't any sign of that.

"We've always talked about staying level when it comes to good performances and poor performances, but they keep coming and we need to find out why.

"I think last week probably has a small part to play in tonight, but that's not a good enough excuse for professional rugby players or a rugby team."

Murphy has admitted that Sunday's defeat has "dented" Ulster's hopes of finishing in the top eight.

To add insult to injury, Ulster will now be forced to lick their wounds with a three-week gap in the URC schedule for the Six Nations.

There's a friendly match with the Queensland Reds, who visit Belfast on 7 February, and Murphy is hoping to have senior players Stuart McCloskey, James Hume and Jacob Stockdale back in action for that game.

Their next competitive game is in Benetton the following week, in a game that has shifted from important to must win.

With the financial windfall that comes with playing Champions Cup rugby, it is crucial for Ulster to maintain their place among Europe's elite.

Murphy's side have been impacted by injuries and young players have been fast-tracked to senior level as a result, but they will need to regroup quickly.

"It's a knock to the confidence, definitely," Murphy added.

"We had looked at the next batch of games as a chance to squeeze up the table.

"The players are disappointed with themselves but we're in this together and we have to find a way to become a more consistent team.

"We look a long way off the team we should be."