Ulster's Alan O’Connor rues ‘ill-discipline’ after Leinster defeat in Champions Cup

Ulster conceded 15 penalties in the game compared to seven by their opponents and Dan McFarland’s side also had two second-half yellow cards.

The visitors were also probably lucky to avoid another just before the interval after conceding a number of penalties in the shadow of their own posts.

O’Connor said: “We know we can come down here and get the job done but we just left ourselves too much to do. Obviously Leinster played well and played the conditions well against us – overall it’s disappointing.

“We left ourselves too much to do because they were always one score ahead of us, but we can see what we can do whenever we get into the right areas: if we can get into the right areas we can execute with our maul and our forwards in the ‘22’.

“I think they gave themselves more opportunities and we gave them too many opportunities on the back of our ill-discipline, and their smart pressure game with their kicking,” he added.

“Whenever the rain is like that, and you give away a penalty – it’s a 40 metre gain. They get a lineout and possibly a penalty and get on the front foot.

“We just didn’t find ourselves doing the right things to put ourselves in the right positions and execute in those areas.

“I don’t think we put enough pressure on them to force them to give away penalties, we had a big moment James Ryan had a good lineout steal and that was a miscommunication between me and the hooker.

“That was a big moment where we could have applied pressure on the 22, those are moments we need to be nailing to put them on the back foot.”

O’Connor said Ulster’s passing game was not up to scratch and admitted Leinster’s execution in their play was a decisive factor.

“We had a few chances, but we didn’t string together too many phases either,” he said.

"It was tough conditions but they strung a lot of phases together, so fair play to them and we should be doing better.

“Leinster are a class team with class players, they are all on the same page, they all know exactly what they are doing and they nail those moments when they need to, and they are more consistent in the execution or their play than us.”

After their European exit Ulster have a week off before turning their attention back to the URC, where they are already guaranteed a home-quarter final.

“We need a couple things to go our way to get second,” O’Connor said.

"We have two home games, so we’ll be looking for maximum points out of those against the Dragons and Edinburgh.”

“It is good that we have something else to get our teeth into and I’ll be looking forward to that when it comes around, get back on the horse pretty quick and full focus on the league.

“We know what we are capable of and how good we can be when we get it right – maybe we just need to be more efficient and more clinical.”