His side, with Phil Dowson in temporary charge, contributed gamely to a compelling match, which breathed some life in a tournament that is desperate for a splash of colour after a couple of dark months.

But, ultimately, they were comfortably outplayed by an Ulster side that moved joint-top of Pool A alongside Racing 92 scoring four tries to qualify for the last 16.

Northampton have now lost six games in succession in Europe, which simply is not good enough for a club with such high expectations.

Not even Courtney Lawes, playing in his 250th appearance for the club, could salvage the afternoon, although the England captain made a telling contribution by winning a crucial turn-over in the build-up to a try by Dan Biggar that kept his side in touch 12-10 at the interval.

Lawes, who contracted Covid last month, had to come off in the 62nd minute with fatigue, but is not thought to be an injury doubt for the Six Nations.

“He was exhausted, and we had a six-two bench and so one of the guys had to come off,” said Dowson, who will take over as director of rugby next season.

“Courtney is experienced enough, old enough and 250 games ugly enough to tell us when he’s done. We thought we’d bring some fresh legs on. It was more precautionary than anything else, he’s ok. When he says he’s done, he’s very honest.

“We wanted to make it a special day, and we failed on that front. Courtney is a big part of this club – not just in terms of the games but the way he’s played them and the way he leads. He’s one of England’s captains. We wanted to make it special for him and we didn’t quite manage that today.”

Ulster, despite missing key personnel Iain Henderson, Stuart McCloskey and John Cooney, were worthy victors, a reward for their ambitious approach, often running the ball from deep inside their own half, backed by a rapier back three of Mike Lowry, Robert Baloucoune and Ethan McIlroy and a powerful and creative midfield of Stewart Moore and James Hume.