Pro14: Ulster have moved past Connacht display says assistant coach Dwayne Peel

Ulster were deservedly beaten by Connacht in Dublin last weekend

Ulster assistant coach Dwayne Peel says the squad have moved on from their lacklustre performance on return to Pro14 action last Sunday.

The province were outplayed by Connacht and despite the fact that they are already assured of a semi-final place, Ulster's coaches and players were left reeling at their own performance.

"We've worked extremely hard over the last couple of weeks and I think uncharacteristically we felt we were a bit flat in all areas really." Peel said.

"I'm not entirely sure of the reason for that, it's just one of those games where we could have come out of the blocks a bit quicker."

• Watch: Pro14 highlights as Irish provinces return to action

"That's an area we've spoken about, those technical areas, and not having played the last six months, we'll keep improving as the weeks go ahead.

"For me, I think just driving that spark within ourselves and hopefully put that right this week."

Despite being distinctly unimpressed with his side's display, head coach Dan McFarland did note after the game that the result was far from a catastrophe.

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Ulster's meeting with Leinster on Saturday will be their final regular season game before the enter the knockout stages in both the Pro14 and the Champions Cup.

"It's an exciting time for us now going ahead and we can't be too down about one performance," Peel said.

"That's happened and now we've packed it up, reviewed hard and we have to put it right. It has no reflection on how we've been training either, and that was Dan's assessment after, because we've trained so well, we've trained hard.

"This week is about putting that on the pitch in preparation for a big game against Leinster but also ahead of what's coming in the next couple of weeks as well."

Leinster challenge about preparation

While Ulster a guaranteed to finish second in Pro14's Conference A, top side Leinster have won all 14 of their domestic games this season.

Leo Cullen's men hit the ground running on their return to action with a pulsating win over Munster, their likely semi-final opponents.

While Ulster's meeting with the province this weekend will not affect the standings, it is the final opportunity for both sides to gather momentum before knock-out rugby begins.

"There's no doubt that Leinster are an outstanding team and have been having a fantastic season so far," said Peel.

"But we've spoken this week about preparing ourselves and using this time to prepare for what's to come for us.

"This week is all about preparation for ourselves. Leinster will bring their own challenge in their own way, but we'll focus on ourselves this week and give the best account of ourselves."