Nick Timoney conceded that Ulster were well short of the standard required after their Investec Champions Cup defeat to Toulouse.
The French Top14 champions ran in seven tries in as they coasted to a 48-24 victory in Belfast with maestro Antoine Dupont serving up a masterclass, scoring two tries in a player of the match showing.
The hosts trailed 22-10 at the break but a three-try salvo in the opening 16 minutes of the second half put the result beyond doubt and demonstrated the difference in class between the two sides.
Timoney, who scored his sixth try in his last four games and is in consideration for a place in the extended Ireland squad that will be named on Wednesday, had no complaints.
"We weren't at our best, they are just incredibly clinical and dangerous," the 28-year-old back row told reporters after the match.
"If you feed them with any mistakes, which we did at times, from 1-23 it feels like they can always punish you.
"They were the better team. Like any game of rugby, you always feel you are in with a chance but we didn’t have an amazing game by any chance.
"It would have taken a much bigger performance to get a win over them because they are world class."
Dan McFarland’s men came into the game off the back in impressive wins over Racing 92, Connacht and Leinster.
They sit in third place on five points in Pool 2, five points behind Saturday’s round-four opponents Harlequins.
The quirk of the new Champions Cup format means that Ulster don’t face bottom of the table Cardiff and Racing 92 will expect to move on to eight points after they host the Welsh side on Saturday.
If that happens then Ulster would need a win at the Stoop to secure progress to the last 16.
McFarland, however, while conceding the format, which means teams from the same league don’t face off in the pools, isn’t perfect, refused to wallow in self pity.
"I don’t want to be disrespectful to Cardiff but the bottom line is they are at the bottom of our pool and haven’t won a game and we don’t get to play them," he said.
"For everybody else it’s been more or less a guaranteed five points. That does seem a little odd but it is what it is.
"We play what’s in front of us and I wouldn’t have it any other way than playing Toulouse. What a great test, what an opportunity, what a night for the fans. Yeah, we lost but these are tremendous challenges."
