Yet Alan Solomons' side still have a chance of reaching Europe's top tier next season should they overhaul a Connacht side currently one point ahead of them and finish seventh.
That would set up a re-match with their Challenge Cup conquerors Gloucester, before a potential play-off with a French side to claim the final Champions Cup spot.
And following a challenging year, Fife is determined to help his side achieve their end-of-season ambitions against Leinster at BT Murrayfield this weekend.
"If we can win this week then we would obviously be up for the play-off match to come away to Gloucester because the Champions Cup is where we want to be," Fife told the Scotsman.
"We were pretty annoyed not to beat Gloucester in the Challenge Cup final, but I think we showed enough that night to show that we can compete with them. However, all we can think about just at the moment is this Leinster match.
"There have been a few challenges. At the start of the season we wanted to finish in a top six spot in the league. Obviously that hasn't worked out, but we did pretty well in Europe and still have a chance of a play-off place in the league.
"After the end of the season we will obviously be sitting down to look at it as a whole.
"We have had some really good wins, but other frustrating performances in games which, if we had won them, we would have finished in the top six."
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