As Henderson identified, this run of video games at all times promised to be a brutal evaluation of Ulster’s progress.
That they’ve needed to face Leinster and the present high two in French rugby with out a host of established gamers – Jacob Stockdale, Tom Stewart, John Cooney and James Hume chief amongst them – has solely added to the problem.
The flip facet, after all, is that Murphy has been in a position to expose the youthful members of his squad to a number of the hardest exams in membership rugby.
Final week, James McCormick and Ben Carson had been amongst these to make their European debuts. On Saturday, Eire Sevens star Zac Ward was given his senior 15s debut whereas Rory Telfer and James Humphreys got here off the bench late for his or her first style of Champions Cup motion.
Publicity to such unforgiving environments is usually a lot for untested gamers to soak up, however Henderson insists it will likely be useful for the squad’s long-term growth.
“There’s at all times disappointment after dropping huge video games, particularly the way we have misplaced our final two, however that is a part of the training course of, a part of the ache you need to undergo to get higher,” he defined.
“Guaranteeing numerous our gamers are getting publicity to the highest degree will certainly stand to them. Particularly to these couple of fellows getting their first cap tonight; I assumed Zac did very well, Telf in all probability did not get sufficient to point out what he can really do.
“However these guys, and final week as effectively, getting publicity at that degree, they will solely study from that and ideally get higher.”