Herring hails Ulster spirit

The Ulsterman were made to work hard for a tense victory against a fired-up Connacht side.

"They came out all guns blazing, you can see the physicality when they are at home, they just lift it up a level.

"To be fair to Connacht they did really well in the first half, but we did well enough to hold them out during their purple patch, and we took a lot of confidence from that," said Herring. 

Clearly delighted with the application of his players in difficult conditions and against a formidably aggressive home side, Herring laughed off the idea that his captaincy had somehow set the standard for Ulster's performance.

"I don't know that it had much to do with my captaincy, but the boys showed great character, especially when we went down to 14 men," a reference to the sin binning of centre Luke Marshall, who was one of the standout players of the night.

"The way we defended when we were down a man, then lifted it up again, just showed how much we wanted to win against Connacht.

"Over the last four weeks we have shown we can back wins up. We always knew it was going to be tough away from home and the boys really showed a lot of character to take it home," he said.

Herring, an Irish international who leads the side when Rory Best is not available, again led by energetic and committed example, though he insists all players must take the credit for their performances.

"It's a privilege for me to lead Ulster, to be in the side, and I think that goes for every single member of the squad.

"We now have to prepare well for the visit of Munster to Kingspan Stadium, and that is always a great occasion and what a way to welcome in the New Year!"

But he said that the single element which has been in evidence in Ulster's formidable run of form through December is confidence.

"When you have that, when you believe in yourself and in those around you, it makes a great difference. We have always had faith in the talent we have, and in the skills of the coaches, who must take a lot of credit for the last month or so.

"And as we've backed up wins recently the aim is to do just that in front of our own fans on Saturday. I'm really looking forward to being involved, every player is, and that's always a good sign.

"We're doing well at the moment, and there's nothing that says we can't keep that up, and even getting results from tight affairs like the Connacht game is just as important as getting the points from a free-running display," he said.

"We're a team which is now showing it can front up in any situation, against any opposition, and have the adaptability and quality to win."