Ulster head coach Jono Gibbes admitted his team were forced to confront some "brutal facts" after their shock Pro14 loss to Zebre.
The province were turned over by Michael Bradley's plucky outfit at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, paying the price for a disjointed and error-riddled display on the road.
A derby clash with Connacht back at Kingspan Stadium under the Friday night lights offers them the opportunity for swift redemption, and Gibbes is confident it's a challenge that will sharpen up his troops considerably.
"We need to take what we can out of a disappointing result and use it to sharpen the mind for Connacht," he told RTÉ Sport.
"The analysis was pretty thorough. We dealt with some brutal facts. We were second rate and second best in a lot of areas in the game.
"We built no pressure on Zebre - at all. We allowed a team with a bit of spirit and a bit of confidence to get into the game and get their noses in front.
"We were second rate and second best in a lot of areas in the game."
"We don't need magic solutions. We just need to stare into the brutal facts, acknowledge a couple of things and get the mind right.
"They know what's coming on Friday night. They need to quickly turn the page and get ready for a massive clash."
Tommy Bowe echoed those sentiments as he reflected on a difficult day at the office for his team-mates.
Bowe didn't feature in Italy, but believes it was the reality check Ulster needed.
"It wasn't pretty," he said. "We went over to Italy full of confidence. To lose, we were disappointed with it.
"Credit to Zebre, they played some great rugby. But we made mistakes. We coughed up a lot of ball, we gifted them possession.
"We need to look at ourselves, we let it slip a little bit, but it's something we can work on. It was a good wake-up call for us.
"It was a reality check. We're disappointed with the loss... but we're back home this weekend. Connacht will be coming up here full of confidence.
"We want to put on a show in front of the home crowd. We'll be expected to play some good rugby and we'll be expected to come away with the win. Hopefully it will be a good game of rugby."
Gibbes meanwhile lavished praise on his compatriot Kieran Keane, who will occupy the opposing dugout on Friday.
Both Kiwis are in their maiden seasons in Ireland, and Gibbes is wary of the X-factor Keane will bring to the derby.
"His reputation in New Zealand is that he's a real innovator, a guy who looks at things from a different angle," he said.
"He'll keep challenging opposition every week with something. It's important we're ready for that. Obviously the best way to guard against his innovation is not to turn the ball over 24 times in a game."
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