Ulster back-row David McCann says the province’s tough start to the season will stand them in good stead for the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign.
Richie Murphy’s team defeated United Rugby Championship champions Glasgow with a late score in their first home game, then lost to the Lions and Bulls on their two-match tour of South Africa.
Connacht were sent off after a huge interprovincial contest at the Kingspan Stadium on Saturday to secure their second win of the new term.
Ulster face the Ospreys in Belfast on Friday, followed by a trip to Cardiff before the break for the international window.
“We’ve had a very tough start to the season – champions at home and then two games away in South Africa at altitude, so to get the win over Connacht and get five points at home was important for us, and I think we He deserved it,” McCann said.
“I think we’re battle-ready now – a lot of guys have got game time, a lot of guys have got experience, so I think it’s been successful in a lot of ways but we’ve got to Need to keep working for the next two games.
“It’s important that we get our points at home, but then we pull it off when it’s tough, when we don’t have the crowd behind us.”