Dave Heffernan says Connacht have no time to feel sorry for themselves, with a trip to Saracens looming large.
The Westerners were outclassed by Bordeaux-Begles on Friday night at the Sportsground, conceding six tries in a 41-5 loss in their opening Investec Champions Cup tie.
Pete Wilkins' side were on top for the opening 10 minutes but Bordeaux never looked back after taking the lead in the eighth minute. Connacht’s lineout and scrum struggled, while their defence was too easily breached.
"It’s disappointing, we were off the pace, and they were by far the better team," said the 32-year-old hooker.
"We spoke about being one step ahead of them all week and we didn’t deliver on that.
"We knew they were a quality team, and they were going to play, especially against the wind in the first half but we were just flat out there, it wasn’t good enough.
"I thought it was a few technical things, the lineout could be better, that’s on me.
"We could have played a bit smarter at times in the first half. We’ll have to regather, it’s a massive game in Saracens [on Saturday] and we can’t be feeling sorry for ourselves."
It was Connacht’s third reverse in a row and their second defeat in less than a week at the Sportsground, after the previous weekend’s last-gasp loss to Leinster.
Heffernan admitted that had been a sickening result but contended it didn’t play a part in the sub-par performance against the Top14 outfit.
"It was a massive blow, a gut-wrenching defeat but I don’t think the six-day turnaround had any impact," said the seven-time Ireland international.
"I felt we were in a really good space before the game, we had a really good training week. We got through everything we needed to get through. Us, as players, we didn’t deliver."
Wilkins, who is waiting on a medical update on Mack Hansen, promised a "blunt" review in the aftermath of the game but added: "I wouldn’t question their attitude and I wouldn’t question their work-rate.
"There was a frustration from not turning that really good start into points.
"Sometimes you then start to force the matter a little bit."
Former Ireland Under-20 coach Noel McNamara joined Bordeaux as attack coach over the summer.
He said: "Our attack off turnovers is dangerous, we have a lot of pace and players who are comfortable on the ball. Sometimes it looks easier than it is.
"That first 10 minutes were really important for us, not to concede, to show a lot of resilience and character."
