Ending Leinster's reign not a 'probability' for Ulster, says head coach Dan McFarland

Ulster's chances of winning trophies this season are "not unrealistic" but also not a probability, says head coach Dan McFarland.

Last term, McFarland guided Ulster to second in their Pro14 conference and the Challenge Cup semi-finals.

Ulster last won silverware 2006 and he is determined to end their barren run.

"We've put ourselves in a position where winning trophies is a possibility," the 49-year-old told BBC Sport NI's Ulster Rugby Show.

"Each year that we go into, we have a genuine goal of winning a trophy. It's not unrealistic.

"Do I think it's probable? No, I don't, because there are 16 teams in our league and certainly one of them has a track record of consistently winning."

Ulster lost only two of their 16 Pro14 games last season, both to eventual champions Leinster

• Catch up on the first episode of the Ulster Rugby Show

Ulster finished second in last season's pandemic-hit Pro14 Conference A behind eventual champions Leinster, who beat Conference B table-toppers Munster in the final to secure their fourth title in a row.

McFarland's side lost both games against Leinster, falling to a 24-12 defeat in Dublin in January before a 19-38 loss at the Kingspan Stadium in March.

Ulster also lost May's Rainbow Cup encounter in Dublin, making it six defeats in a row against Leo Cullen's side.

"Are they getting worse? No, they're not, so the probability [of winning a trophy], we'd say no," added McFarland.

"You only have to look at the bookies to find that out, I think we're third favourites this year. We were 8-1 - they don't get things wrong very often. But I fancy our one."

Ulster are hoping to stop Leinster from winning their fifth title in a row

Appointed head coach in 2018, McFarland has overseen considerable improvement without ending the province's quest for silverware.

Last week, Ulster launched their United Rugby Championship campaign in buoyant fashion with a thrilling 35-29 win over Glasgow Warriors in front of 15,000 spectators at the Kingspan Stadium.

The province's challenge this season has also been boosted by the signing of South African World Cup-winning back-row forward Duane Vermeulen, who will join the club following the autumn Tests in November.

However, while McFarland admits that spending money to capture several "top players" would quickly bridge the gap between themselves and Leinster, he is more focused on a longer term project.

"I'm employed here not on the basis of 'right, you have to win the next match'. That's not how I see it," he said.

"When I sit with Jonny Petrie and the guys on management committees, we're looking for long-term. Yes there are trophies within that, but it isn't a case of 'right, we just need to win now'.

"Because if it was, then I'd be saying 'well, you just need to spend money on top players' because that is a quick solution to that problem. The studies will tell you that.

"That's not what it's about. I've got to keep a focus on the longer term stuff and the medium term stuff with that goal in mind."

He added: "The long-term goal of the organisation is to be consistently competing for championships, which means you've basically got to be putting yourself at the thick end of the competition year in, year out.

"The years the things go right for you, there's a good chance that you can pull it off because you're down to one or two games at the end of the season and we all know what can happen in those games."

Hear the full, wide-ranging interview with Dan McFarland and more on The Ulster Rugby Show on BBC Two NI and the iPlayer at 22:00 BST on Thursday, 30 September.